Faith based health services are scattered all over the country. Godfrey Biemba states that churches or missions provide 30% of the overall healthcare and approximately 60% of rural health services.64 A report from the ARHAP research team funded by the Gates Foundation reports that, religious healthcare services provide 40% and 28% of first level and second-level hospital beds respectively.65
61 Temfwe, Lawrence An analysis of the role of evangelical fellowship on Zambia in the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation. Wheaton, MA thesis Dissertation 1999.
62 Temfwe, Lawrence An analysis of the role of evangelical fellowship on Zambia in the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation. Wheaton, MA thesis Dissertation 1999.
63 Erik Blas and Me Limbambala, ―User-payment, decentralization and health service utilization in Zambia,‖ Health policy and planning (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001),
64 Godfrey Biamba, Value-added and invisibility of religious Health assets; ARHARP collection of concept papers, 2007 International Colloquium, Cape Town. p.21
65 ARHAP report 2008, ‗The contribution of religious entities to health in sub- Saharan Africa‟
<http://www.arhap.uct.ac.za/publications.php> p108.
Figure 6. Health institution in Zambia66
System Level Partner No Beds Cots Total Percentage
1stLevel Hospitals
Government 30 2383 344 2727 36%
Mission 28 2755 316 3071 40%
Private 12 1323 491 1814 24%
Total 70 6461 1151 7612 100%
2ndLevel Hospitals
Government 12 3334 741 4075 67%
Mission 5 1590 163 1753 28%
Private 1 209 84 293 5%
Total 18 5133 988 6121 100%
Rural Health Centers RHC
Government 980 8467 569 9036 82%
Mission 68 1695 141 1836 17%
Private 24 96 4 100 1%
Total 1072 10258 714 10 972
It is clear from the table above that mission Hospitals have a significant contribution to healthcare in Zambia.
Several religious health activities and networks operate in Zambia. A typical example is CHAZ, which was established in 1970, with the main objective to serve as an umbrella organization to manage and represent activities done by religious and ‗church‘ health institutions at a national level. CHAZ has a membership of 129 affiliates of health institutions and community-based church organizations. These represent 16 different churches and church organizations, with a total of 32 hospitals, 60 health centres and clinics, as well as 33 community-based organizations.67 CHAZ plays a major role as a network of networks; it provides overall coordination, networking for member organizations, access to funding and resources and is a link to the policy makers and donors at a national level. CHAZ plays a major role in the coordinating and networking in pursuit of its mission statement which is ―to provide technical, administrative and logistical services for affiliate members to serve communities with holistic quality health
66 ARHAP report 2008, ‗The contribution of religious entities to health in sub- Saharan Africa‟
<http://www.arhap.uct.ac.za/publications.php> p108
67 CHAZ web sites-http://www.zamcart.co.zm/new_chaz/
services that reflect Christian values, so that people live healthy and productive lives.‖68 CHAZ is a recognized and respected entity at a national level and has a good working relationship with the government. CHAZ sits on various national policy and implementation committees such as the National AIDS Council, the Central Board of Health, the General Nursing Council, the Medical Council of Zambia and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. CHAZ has the responsibility to represent the interest of member institutions to the government through the Ministry of Health and international donors. 69
Another network that represents the churches activities in healthcare is the Zambia Interfaith Networking Group on HIV and AIDS (ZINGO). It was formed in 1997 as a national faith based non-governmental organization with the sole purpose of coordinating and articulating and FBO response to HIV and AIDS. It is a network of local congregations affiliated to religious ‗mother bodies‘ in Zambia.70 The following is a list of existing members of ZINGO:
Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) Independent Churches of Zambia (ICOZ) Hindu Association of Zambia (HAZ) Islamic Council of Zambia (ICZ)
National Spiritual Assembly of Baha‘is in Zambia 71
ZINGO brings together all the above major faiths in Zambia in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
It exists to ‗coordinate and spread ideas and lessons learned among its members and through a holistic and compassionate approach, contribute to the quality of life and reduction of new infections in the communities.‘72 ZINGO also mobilizes resources, materials and human resources to support initiatives against AIDS for its affiliate members.
Another church activity in health services is an organization called ‗Expanded Church
Response‘, this is a Religious Entity which is exclusively Christian in nature providing networks
68 ARHAP report 2008, ‗The contribution of religious entities to health in sub- Saharan Africa‟
<http://www.arhap.uct.ac.za/publications.php>
69 CHAZ web sites-http://www.zamcart.co.zm/new_chaz/
70 Note that ‗Mother Bodies‘ is the formal title used in Zambia for these organisations.
71 ZINGO broucher, partnerships in HIV and AIDS p.2
72 ZINGO broucher, partnerships in HIV and AIDS p.2
for HIV and AIDS interventions. The other related organization involved in health is the Traditional Healers and Practitioners in Zambia, THPAZ. Even though THPAZ is not directly a religious entity, in practice some of its affiliate members, such as traditional healers, consult spirits [that is divination] in their healing procedures. THPAZ provides a network for traditional healers; it serves as a link between government and traditional healers. THPAZ is also presented on National bodies such as the National AIDS Council.
The above shows the various ways in which religious activities are engaged in the provision of healthcare and healing in Zambia.