Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Zambia has the largest economy in the region and the second fastest-growing on the African continent, behind Nigeria.
The Ministry of Health is responsible for planning and overseeing health services, including family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, immunizations, disease control, and prevention in Zambia. The Ministry of Health operates within the framework of a decentralized system with District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) at the district level.
The position of health in Zambia on WHO’s ranking tables: In 2018, 113th out of 191 countries on life expectancy at birth.
The top 20 Hospitals in Zambia are:
1. University Teaching Hospital:
University Teaching Hospital of Zambia is located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is the only university teaching hospital in the country. The hospital provides a wide range of services to people from all walks of life. It has the capacity to accommodate up to 500 patients at any point in time and has an average daily attendance rate of about 350 patients.
The hospital provides free medical care to children below 18 years old and pregnant mothers irrespective of their ability to pay for the service rendered. Additionally, they also provide free treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis patients as well as those living with disabilities and chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, asthma etc.
2. Ndola Central Hospital:
Ndola Central Hospital is located in Ndola, Zambia. It has a capacity of 370 beds. The hospital offers inpatient and outpatient services.
The hospital was established in 1948 as the Ndola Provincial Hospital and it was later renamed Ndola Central Hospital on 1 January 1962.
It is a 400-bed regional referral hospital with a catchment population of more than 3 million people from the Copperbelt Province, Luapula Province, Western Province and Southern Province. The hospital offers general medical services including general surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics & gynaecology, pathology & laboratory services, radiology & imaging services, emergency medicine and orthopaedics.
3. Mpika District Hospital:
Mpika District Hospital is located in the central province of Zambia. It is situated on the Mpika-Nchelenge road, about 120 km from Lusaka.
The hospital has an area of 12 acres, and it has a bed capacity of 500 beds. The hospital offers various specialities, including general medicine and surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and traumatology.
The Mpika District Hospital has several facilities that are available to patients:
– A laboratory for HIV/AIDS testing and other medical tests
– A pharmacy with drugs for sale
– A health education centre which provides information on various topics such as family planning
– An outpatient clinic that provides care to people who are not admitted
4. Livingstone General Hospital:
The hospital is situated at the Livingstone General Hospital of Zambia, in the Southern Province of Zambia. It has a total of 243 beds, including an intensive care unit and a maternity ward. The hospital also has three medical wards and two surgical wards. There are also various outpatient facilities on site, such as a laboratory, pharmacy and radiology department.
The Livingstone General Hospital of Zambia is a public hospital that provides health care to the people living in and around Livingstone City. It was established in 1928 by Dr David Livingstone’s son-in-law Dr Arthur Hays Sullebarger.
It was originally called the “Livingstone Memorial Hospital” but it was renamed to its current name after independence from Great Britain in 1964.
5. Kabwe General Hospital:
The Kabwe General Hospital is situated in the central region of Zambia. It is a public hospital, and it is under the Ministry of Health. This hospital has nine wards with a capacity of 1,000 patients.
The hospital offers services to both inpatients and outpatients. The services include general medical care, general surgery, obstetrics/gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry and mental health, radiology and imaging sciences, anesthesiology and pain management as well as laboratory sciences.
It also provides HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services for adults and children; community-based interventions for malaria prevention; family planning counselling; cervical cancer screening; child immunizations; prenatal care; antenatal testing for HIV infection; maternal complications management such as haemorrhage.
6. Kitwe Central Hospital:
This hospital is situated in the heart of Kitwe, Zambia. It was founded in 1968 and is a major regional referral hospital. It has a total bed capacity of 567 beds, with a range of specialities and services to cater for the needs of patients from all over the country.
The hospital has an emergency department that provides emergency care to all patients, irrespective of their ability to pay for care. The hospital also has an outpatient department that provides medical treatment for those who do not need admission into the hospital or those who are too ill to be admitted into the hospital but need medical attention urgently.
7. Choma District Hospital:
Choma District Hospital is located in the Choma District of Zambia. It has a total bed capacity of 240. The hospital provides comprehensive medical services, including general medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and laboratory services.
The hospital has an outpatient department with a male and female ward as well as an emergency ward. The hospital also has a pharmacy that offers medicines for sale to patients and the public at large.
Choma District Hospital was established in 1948 by the Belgian Red Cross Society (BRCS) with funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). In 1954, it became part of the Ministry of Health Services under Zambia’s first Minister of Health Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
8. Livingstone Provincial General Hospital:
The Livingstone Provincial General Hospital is a public hospital situated in the town of Livingstone, in the Southern Province of Zambia. It is one of the largest government hospitals in Zambia. The hospital was established in 1892 and has grown to have a staff of over 700 people.
The hospital has numerous facilities including an Accident and Emergency Unit, an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit, a Cardiology Unit, a Paediatrics Unit, a Surgical Ward and an Intensive Care Unit. The hospital also provides HIV testing and counselling, as well as mental health services to patients.
9. St. Francis Hospital:
St. Francis Hospital of Zambia is a private hospital that offers a wide range of services to its patients. It is located in the heart of the city and has been in operation since 1995.
The hospital offers state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, including an intensive care unit, operating theatres, and diagnostic facilities. The facility has over 150 beds that are divided into general wards, surgical wards, obstetric wards, pediatric wards, intensive care units (ICUs), and private rooms.
The hospital also provides services such as outpatient clinics for adults and children; laboratory investigations; radiology investigations; physiotherapy; rehabilitation therapy; dietetics; nursing home care for the elderly and disabled; dental treatment for adults and children among others.
10. Chingola District Hospital:
Chingola District Hospital is located in Chingola, Zambia. It is a public hospital that serves the needs of the people of Chingola and the surrounding areas. The hospital has a capacity of 200 beds and it has an emergency department.
Chingola District Hospital was opened in 1937 by the colonial government. It was then named Northern Rhodesian General Hospital before Zambia gained independence from British rule. The hospital underwent renovations in 1984 with new wards being built and a new administration building constructed on site.
The hospital offers a range of medical services including maternity, paediatrics, obstetrics, general surgery, orthopaedics and gynaecology services as well as services for mental health patients who need to be admitted for treatment or observation purposes.
11. Nchanga General Hospital, Nchanga:
The Nchanga General Hospital is located in the Nchanga of Zambia. It is a private hospital that has a capacity of 250 beds.
Nchanga General Hospital was established in 1961 by the then-colonial government and opened in 1962. It was opened to provide medical care to the people living in Nchanga and its environs. The hospital is privately owned and run by the Zambian company, African Medical Investment Group (AMIG).
The hospital has an emergency department, a maternity ward with 12 delivery rooms, an outpatient department with 10 consulting rooms, an intensive care unit (ICU), a cardiac catheterization laboratory, an operating theatre suite with 7 theatres, radiology departments and other facilities like laboratories.
12. Mufulira Central Hospital:
The Mufulira Central Hospital is a public hospital in Zambia. It is situated in Mufulira, Northern Province. The hospital has a capacity of 600 beds and serves as the referral hospital for the province.
Mufulira Central Hospital was established in 1936. The first building was built with funds from the British government and opened on September 1, 1937. This building had an initial capacity of 10 beds and served as a maternity ward for women from all over Northern Province.
In 1940, the hospital had grown to have 100 beds and became an important facility for people living in Northern Province at that time.
13. Ndola Central Referral Hospital:
Ndola Central Referral Hospital, formerly known as Ndola General Hospital, is a public hospital in Zambia. The hospital was established in the year 1905 and has been expanded over the years.
The hospital has a bed capacity of 254 beds and offers both inpatient and outpatient services. It also provides a range of medical services such as general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, dental care, laboratory tests, radiology services etc.
The Ndola Central Referral Hospital of Zambia is located at Kabwe Road. It is about 12 kilometres from the City Centre of Ndola. The facility also has an ambulance service that can transport patients to other hospitals when needed.
14. Kalabo District Hospital:
Kalabo District Hospital is located in Kalabo of Zambia. It is a public hospital that provides medical and healthcare services to the people of Kalabo and its surrounding districts. The hospital has an Emergency Unit, Outpatient Department, Radiology Unit, Pharmacy, Laboratory Services, Operating Theatre, Maternity Ward and a Mortuary.
It has a total bed capacity of 250 beds with 50 beds in the Maternity Ward. There are a total of 12 rooms in the Outpatient Department with 5 rooms for male patients and 7 rooms for female patients. The hospital also has an operating theatre that can accommodate up to 16 patients at a time.
15. Chipata General hospital :
Chipata General Hospital is situated in Chipata, Zambia. It was established in the early 1900s and is a tertiary referral hospital. The hospital has a capacity of 100 beds and serves as the referral hospital for Eastern Province, Zambia.
The hospital has an air-conditioned surgical theatre with an operating table that can be converted into a theatre bed. There are also two operating theatres which are used for day surgeries. The main ward has 68 beds which can accommodate both male and female patients, as well as children up to 12 years old.
The Chipata General Hospital offers modern facilities such as:
-Tertiary care facility
-100 beds
-Emergency treatment centre.
16. Solwezi Districts hospital:
Solwezi Districts hospital is Zambia’s first district hospital. It has a capacity of 300 beds and offers both inpatient and outpatient services. The hospital provides laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, and other medical services to the people of Solwezi District.
The hospital is located in the town of Solwezi, which is about 100 kilometres from the capital city of Lusaka. The town has a population of about 40 thousand people and it is situated at an elevation of approximately 575 meters above sea level.
The land on which the hospital stands was donated by a local businessman named Mr J. Mwansa Kaluba for humanitarian purposes on December 27th, 1968.
The facilities include Outpatient wards with 120 beds, Inpatient wards with 120 beds, Specialized wards with 10 beds (including maternity), an Operating theatre with 3 tables (2 day-time and 1 night-time), X-ray department with 2 rooms equipped.
17. Kalunga Hospital Zambia:
Kalunga Hospital is a hospital located in Zambia. It was established in the year 1986. The hospital provides services to the general public and also to people from neighbouring countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique.
The hospital is run by the Catholic Church of the Province of Central Africa, which is based in Lusaka. The hospital has a total of 526 beds for patients and staff. It also has an outpatient department that provides services for both adults and children.
The Kalunga Hospital is located on a hilltop near the centre of Lusaka, which makes it easily accessible to all parts of Lusaka as well as its surrounding areas like Kafue District, Chawama Township, Bauleni Township and other parts of Southern Province.
18-Lusaka Central Hospital:
The Lusaka Central Hospital of Zambia is a public hospital that provides medical care to the general population. It is located in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city. The hospital has an emergency department, a maternity ward and several outpatient clinics.
The Lusaka Central Hospital was established in 1959 when Zambia was still known as Northern Rhodesia. It was originally called the North Rhodesian General Hospital and had only 30 beds at that time. In 1965, it became the North-Western Rhodesian General Hospital and had 60 beds with an additional maternity wing added later on. Then in1970, it became the Northern Rhodesian General Hospital and had 100 beds with an additional outpatient clinic added later on. In 1973, it became the National Medical Services Centre with 200 beds and over 20.
19. Mopani District Hospital:
The Mopani District Hospital is located in the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka. It was established by the British colonial government in 1951 as a private hospital. The hospital has grown to be one of the largest hospitals in Zambia with a bed capacity of 800 beds.
Mopani District Hospital is a government-owned and operated facility that provides medical services to the people of Lusaka and surrounding communities. The hospital has an emergency department, general medical ward, maternity ward, paediatrics ward, surgical ward and intensive care unit.
The Mopani District Hospital is equipped with modern facilities like CT scans, digital x-rays and mammography equipment for diagnosis purposes. It also has on-site laboratory services for blood tests and other diagnostic testing procedures.
20. Mulungushi General Hospital:
Mulungushi General Hospital of Zambia is a public hospital which is located in Lusaka, Zambia.
The hospital was built in the year 1976 and it is one of the largest hospitals in Lusaka. The hospital has a bed capacity of about 850 beds. It has been equipped with modern medical equipment and it provides different types of services to its patients such as obstetrics, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics and gynaecology among many others.
The hospital also offers post-graduate training facilities for both national and international students who are studying in health-related fields.
It provides various services such as maternity care, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology care among many other services that include pediatric care, orthopaedics and rehabilitation care
Reference:
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TOP 20 HOSPITALS IN ZAMBIA:
1. University Teaching Hospital
4. Livingstone General Hospital
8. Livingstone Provincial General Hospital
9. Kafue National Park Teaching and Research Institute of Medical Sciences
10. Chingola District Hospital
11. Kalomo District Health Centre (KDHC)
12. Kabwe District Health Centre (KDHC)
13. Ndola Central Referral Hospital
14. Nkhata Bay District Health Centre