The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has finalised some of its directives set out under its National Management Development Forum (NMDF).

One of the directives that is a challenge is the implementation of the performance management system.

The Executive Director of the Ministry, Ben Nangombe, has undertaken some interventions to ensure the full implementation of this directive.

"Following these interventions, we see an increase in uptake in terms of the number of performance reviews for 2023/24 compared to the previous cycle, and we are continuing with efforts to ensure the full implementation of the PMS system."

Nangombe maintained that the ministry is obliged to put in place its Customer Service Charters, which highlight clients' expectations when visiting health facilities and centres. 

These charters, he says, are finalised. "Now that we have completed this process, we have submitted them to the Office of the Prime Minister; they have been signed off, and we are actually going to implement these to meet the expectations of the members of the public who frequent our health facilities. This implementation we are looking at on the 1st of April."

Other directives include the finalisation of the policy framework for the Universal Health Coverage programme.

Nangombe also raised the issue of a shortage of some medicines, saying the matter is a frequent one.

"We have worked together with the Ministry of Finance and the Central Procurement Board; we have obtained exemptions to carry out specific procurement activities pending the award of the tender bid; we have read in the media about the challenges and the applications of reviews, which have in turn made it almost impossible to put in place the long-term contracts that we need, which would ensure that we have more predictable delivery schedules and fixed prices."