The Ministry of Health (MoH) leads the national system through Provincial Health Offices and District Health Offices. Public facilities work alongside private and faith-based providers. Health Posts offer health promotion, prevention, limited diagnosis, first aid and treatment for uncomplicated conditions such as malaria, diarrhoea and upper respiratory infections. Health Centres provide broader primary care, including antenatal and postnatal care, routine immunisation, child health, malaria and tuberculosis services, HIV testing and treatment, screening for diabetes, hypertension and some cancers, environmental and school health, and mental health support. A Community-Based Volunteer (CBV) or Community Health Assistant (CHA) may help with health information, initial contact and referral. A Health Post or Health Centre can refer a person to a first-level hospital, then to a second-level general hospital or a third-level central or teaching hospital when the condition requires more staff, equipment or specialist care. Fourth-level specialised facilities handle selected complex conditions. Chainama Hills College Hospital is the national tertiary referral institution for psychiatric care. Traditional and complementary medicine is included in MoH policy, but it should not be treated as automatically equivalent to clinically assessed conventional care. During a visit, registration and recording of vital signs usually come before a nurse assessment and consultation. The facility may then provide laboratory tests, imaging, medicines, admission or referral. In a life-threatening emergency, seek immediate triage at the nearest suitable facility; if the first facility cannot provide the required care, local referral arrangements should move the patient to a higher level. A single nationwide emergency telephone number was not confirmed in the reviewed sources, so the nearest appropriate facility and local emergency arrangements remain relevant. After treatment, the facility may issue a discharge or review appointment. Follow-up can include medicine adherence, HIV treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART), tuberculosis treatment, monitoring of non-communicable diseases, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, home-based care and follow-up by CBVs. Mental health, substance-use and psychiatric care may require continuing support from psychological, psychiatric or community services. SmartCare can support digital care records and continuity between services. Universal health coverage and equity policies are intended to include all population groups. Public primary health care is generally intended to be free for citizens under government financing, but this does not guarantee that every service, diagnostic test or medicine is available without charge. Private and faith-based care, high-cost investigations and medicines may require payment. Registration may be walk-in or appointment-based, and waiting and referral times depend on the facility’s capacity. A National Registration Card or passport may be requested, and a guardian may be needed for a minor or someone unable to consent. Patients should receive dignity, respect, confidentiality, impartial treatment and transparent information, and their views should be considered. They should give accurate medical and medication information, provide consent or involve a guardian where required, attend referral and review appointments, follow agreed treatment and report suspected medicine quality problems or adverse effects to the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA). The Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) verifies practitioners and facilities, while the Nursing and Midwifery Council regulates nursing and midwifery practice. Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency supports medicine and medical-supply availability.
Health in Zambia
Zambia’s health system provides prevention, examination, treatment, medicines, emergency care and follow-up through public, private and faith-based facilities. Most people enter care through a Community-Based Volunteer or Community Health Assistant, a Health Post or a Rural or Urban Health Centre, while more complex cases move through higher hospital levels. Access varies by distance, staff, diagnostic capacity, medicines and available beds.
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