Health Minister Professor Roma Chilengi says Zambia is expected to sign a major health funding agreement with the United States this week following months of negotiations over contentious provisions in the proposed deal.
Speaking when he featured on ZNBC’s Sunday Interview, Professor Chilengi says Government is now fully aligned with the United States on the Health Compact Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is expected to support Zambia’s health sector over the next five years.
Professor Chilengi says the agreement underwent extensive negotiations after government raised concerns over several clauses in the initial draft.
He says some provisions appeared punitive despite the agreement being described as non-binding, while others raised concerns regarding Zambia’s data protection laws and specimen-sharing requirements.
He says government engaged the United States in a series of discussions to ensure the agreement was aligned with Zambia’s national interests, resulting in revisions that both parties are now comfortable with.
Professor Chilengi says the United States remains Zambia’s largest health sector partner, and the funding will support programmes targeting HIV, malaria, maternal and child health, as well as disease outbreak preparedness.
Reports on the proposed agreement earlier indicated negotiations centring on data-sharing and sovereignty concerns.
He says the government is hopeful the agreement will be signed this week, paving the way for continued cooperation between Zambia and the United States in strengthening the country’s health sector.
By Mike Mwendachabe
