K4.8 Billion Chongwe Hospital to Be Commissioned Soon

Patson Phiri

10 June 2011

The Chongwe District Hospital built at a cost of K8.4 billion will be commissioned soon. The hospital which is located about 900 metres from Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya’s palace was built at a cost of K4.8 billion, while the new K5.7 billion Matipula Basic School, located on Great East Road about two km from the palace, has also been constructed.

Chongwe District Commissioner Japhen Mwakalombe said the Government had also built Rufunsa High School within the traditional ruler’s area worth K27.7 billion, besides the 40 additional classroom blocks in various schools. Mr Mwakalombe said the Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Housing had also put up street lights along the main road in the district in its continued quest to improve the welfare of the people. A Times reporter who toured the district yesterday also learnt that apart from the hospital, the Government had procured six ambulances for various parts of the district, 31 motor bikes, 31 generators for the health centres and clinics and 31 maternity delivery beds within the past few months.

Mr Mwakalombe said the Government had also bought 23 motor bikes for extension officers under the Ministry of Agriculture, apart from a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser. He said the district administration office had since shifted to a newly-constructed office block at a cost of K5.5 billion. A new office block was under construction for Chongwe District Council planners. “The district now has a total of 57 basic schools and four high schools and we believe this is among the highest considering that some districts have one high school,” Mr Mwakalombe said. The Government has successfully paid K30.2 billion for the purchase of maize from farmers during last year’s marketing season and that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had already moved to the district to start buying the produce. Mr Mwakalombe said a massive road construction project had been launched to upgrade feeder roads in Chongwe District and that the Government had released K13.7 billion.

The roads targeted are RD480 to Kasisi, T4 to Kasisi Mission junction, D153 junction to Chongwe, T4 to Nyamanongo and T4 to Mwachilele Road, among others.â-¨Mr Mwakalombe said the Government had worked on 138 km of the road network in the district at a cost of K144, 425, 000 and that the roads that had been targeted include Mpango, Matipula, Kasenga/Chinkuli, Katende-Kanakantapa to Zambia National Service while Chifwema Road was being tarred.â-¨The people of Chongwe District were grateful to President Banda for his dedication to the improvement of the district.â-¨The DC said for the first time since independence, President Banda’s administration had constructed a water treatment plant that cost the Government K6.8 billion and that machinery to enable the district access water from Luangwa River had been procured to feed the water treatment plant.â-¨He said the Government, through Zesco Limited had constructed the first sub-station in Chongwe to enhance economic development by boosting industrial activity.â-¨

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