The Biomedical Engineering Association of Zambia (BEAZ) has called on the government to ensure that the revised five-year health cooperation agreement with the United States does not compromise national sovereignty or the confidentiality of citizens’ medical information.
BEAZ president, Kenneth Mwandila, told Zambia Monitor that while international cooperation was valuable, it should be based on mutual respect and transparency.
Mwandila welcomed the signing of the revised agreement, recalling that earlier this year, when the deal was on hold, the association commended the government’s decision to suspend the signing over concerns about sovereignty and data protection.
“Our position was, and remains, that international cooperation is valuable but must rest on mutual respect and transparency, never on conditions that compromise national sovereignty or the confidentiality of citizens’ medical information,” he stated.
Mwandila said trust was the foundation of safe healthcare, noting that patients entrust health workers with not only their lives but also the equipment used to diagnose, monitor and sustain them.
“A patient who walks into a health facility trusts us not only with their life, but also with the machines that diagnose, monitor and sustain that life. That trust is the foundation of safe healthcare,” he stated.
He said the government had not dismissed concerns raised by doctors, biomedical engineers, civil society organisations and members of the public, but had returned to the negotiating table to renegotiate the agreement.
Mwandila also cited assurances by Health Minister Professor Roma Chilengi that clauses requiring the sharing of individual health data and patient specimens had been removed, the agreement made no reference to critical minerals, and any data-sharing would be limited to monitoring funded programmes.
“The Minister has assured the nation that clauses requiring sharing of individual health data and patient specimens have been removed, that the agreement makes no reference to critical minerals, and that any data-sharing is limited to monitoring of funded programmes,” Mwandila stated.
He said the agreement was reported to be worth US$3.6 billion over five years, with the United States contributing US$1.5 billion and Zambia committing US$2.1 billion.
Mwandila said the forensic audit of the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA), which reportedly uncovered irregular procurements, unaccounted-for stock and diversion of commodities, had implications for the daily work of biomedical engineers.
“We know what it means to have medicines available but no functional equipment to deliver them,” he stated.
He said health financing determined whether clinics had functional ultrasound machines, operating theatres had safe anaesthesia equipment, and district hospitals could operate laboratories.
Read More: Zambia, US finalise $3.6 billion health deal after public outcry over contentious clauses
Mwandila cited National Health Accounts for 2022 to 2024, which showed that donors financed about 46 per cent of current health expenditure in 2024, while government health spending declined from 8.18 per cent in 2022 to 6.88 per cent in 2024, below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target.
He welcomed the provision for recruiting more than 40,000 health workers, including over 15,000 frontline workers, but said the workforce should also include biomedical engineers, technologists and technicians.
“There is no doctor who can work without equipment, and no equipment that is safe without a Biomedical Engineer,” he stated.
Mwandila urged the government to honour its domestic health financing commitments, progressively work towards the Abuja target and ensure that resources reached frontline health facilities.
He also called for the recruitment and retention of biomedical personnel and adequate funding for the maintenance, calibration and replacement of medical equipment.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
The post BEAZ calls for protection of patient data in US health agreement first appeared on Zambia Monitor.