UTH in KR15 million facelift

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The University Teaching Hospital (UTH) has embarked on a KR15 million infrastructure renovation and rehabilitation exercise of the hospital.

 

UTH Public Relations Manager Mwenya Mulenga said the exercise was meant to give the hospital a facelift and improve on its current image where most of the infrastructure has experienced high levels of dilapidation.

 

Mr. Mwenya explained that the E-block ward has already been upgraded to standard level adding that the contractor has since moved to the G-block before proceeding to the main pharmacy, the corridor at the main foyer and the emergency theatre.

 

He added that three elevators have since been replaced for the medicine, surgery and mortuary departments.

 

He said at a media briefing in Lusaka today that all the lifts are expected to be replaced by the end of the year.

 

Mr. Mwenya further disclosed that plans were underway to have an Asian cardiac surgeon to perform open heart surgery at the University teaching hospital.

 

He stated that the hospital’s mandate was to offer quality health care to the public and therefore, the surgeon will help in clearing a long list of open heart surgery cases that have been pending for some time at the hospital.

 

“You may be interested to know that over 400 people in Zambia are currently living with heart diseases. Since January 2012, a total of 60 patients were sent by government for treatment abroad,” Mr. Mwenya said

 

He has meanwhile disclosed that the hospital has managed to procure an oxygen plant which will be fully installed before the end of June this year.

 

And Mr. Mwenya said UTH has experienced an increase in the number of patients seen and admitted in the main wards from between 1,000 to 1,300 patients to about 1,500 patients every day.

 

He said the hospital has a capacity of 1,613 beds in 51 wards adding that 80 per cent of these beds are occupied.

 

He attributed the increase in the number of patients to population increase and the rise in the disease burden which has a sounding impact on the provision of services.

 

Mr. Mwenya therefore stressed the need for clinics to be more proactive and only refer complicated and difficult cases to UTH.

 

He stated that the health referral system has become ineffective as most clinics in the country have relaxed by referring cases which can even be handled at the clinic level to the hospital.

 

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