06/05/2026
Mpongwe District Commissioner Mwambashi Mwitwa has renewed calls for the construction of a district hospital, saying the move would ease mounting pressure on Mpongwe Mission Hospital which currently serves patients from Lufwanyama and Ngabwe districts as well.
Mr. Mwitwa spoke shortly after receiving Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi, who was in the district in the company of Copperbelt Provincial Health Director Dr. Charles Mwinuna.
During a courtesy call at the District Administration office, discussions focused on the long-standing proposal for a public hospital in Mpongwe. Mr. Mwitwa noted that the mission-run facility remains overstretched.
The District Commissioner also lobbied the Permanent Secretary to give rural districts priority in future health worker recruitments, pointing out that urban centers have access to both private and public facilities, while rural communities depend largely on government clinics.
On the supply of medicines, Mr. Mwitwa praised the government of President Hakainde Hichilema for maintaining drug stock levels above 80 percent across all health facilities in the district.
He said It can only take serious and committed leadership in government to sustain this trajectory.
The delegation later held talks with the board and management of the Mpongwe Baptist Association, which runs the mission hospital.
It was during that meeting that Dr. Mwinuna introduced a new Medical Superintendent, Dr. Nchimunya, a specialist in Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
And Mr. Mwitwa welcomed the deployment, describing it as a critical step toward improving maternal health and reducing deaths among expectant mothers in the district.
Hospital administrators also tabled several operational challenges before Dr. Lishimpi, who directed the DC’s office to work hand-in-hand with the Provincial Administration and the Provincial Health Director to formally document and escalate the issues to his office.
Dr. Lishimpi wrapped up his tour with an inspection of the maternity wing at Mpongwe Mission Hospital.
M.B.A Radio news