Health Minister says accurate and timely information on population, health, and nutrition is critical towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.

Speaking at the launch of the dissemination of results of the 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, Dr Chitalu Chilufya said results of the Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys provide key health information for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of health programmes in the country.
Dr Chitalu said government is investing in attaining universal health coverage by strengthening health systems through strategies informed by the highest level of evidence, adding that demographic and health surveys data plays a major role in advancing international understanding of global population and health trends.

He says the surveys provide an unparalleled body of comparable data on demographic, health, and nutrition indicators and are a primary source of reproductive and health information.
“The aspiration of Universal Health Coverage is anchored on evidence-based priority setting and effective resource allocation to achieve targeted interventions. Key to the attainment of these objectives is performance measurement,” He said.

The health minister adds that in order to measure performance in the health sector, large surveys are undertaken that complement the health sector’s administrative means of collecting data from the public and facilities. Such data are used to advise critical policy decisions.
He adds that accurate and timely information is necessary for programme managers, policymakers, and implementers to monitor and evaluate the impact of existing programmes and to design new initiatives for health policies in Zambia.
Dr Chitalu says the 2018 Zambia Demographics and Health Survey provides the country with critical data on the status of maternal, child, reproductive health, nutrition, HIV and other health outcomes of Zambians, adding that the information is critical for the country to review its performance as well as plan for the further.
Speaking at the same event, Ministry of National Development Planning assured that it will continue to produce statistics to ensure that government accounts for its developmental results.
Minister in Charge Alexander Chiteme says his ministry will therefore continue to prioritize the production of statistics to this effect.
He says about 13,500 rural and urban households have since been covered in the