Healthcare relies on systems most patients rarely see.
At Minga Mission Hospital in Zambia’s Eastern Province, consistent electricity allows surgeries to proceed without interruption. Reliable water storage and oxygen supply and so much more goes into sustaining life in critical moments.
Behind every consultation, delivery, and emergency procedure, these foundational systems quietly carry the weight of care.
The South Africa team is leading two major initiatives in Zambia in collaboration with EMI USA, national agencies, and generous grant partners. Together, we are strengthening healthcare delivery at both facility and provincial levels.
At Minga Mission Hospital, phase one of a development project focused on increasing surgical capacity and long-term sustainability is nearing completion.
The hospital is moving from two small, basic surgical rooms to a strengthened surgical unit that will include one teaching theatre, two standard operating theatres, a proper sluice room, and dedicated preparation and recovery areas. A solar field is being installed to improve energy reliability, alongside expanded water systems and a dedicated oxygen plant.
Upgrades are also underway in the outpatient department, children’s ward, and waiting areas, recognising that the spaces where families sit and wait shape the experience of care just as much as the operating theatre. Access roads are being improved to support safe and reliable entry to the hospital.
Together, these changes are reshaping how care is delivered day to day.
As our engagement at Minga deepened, it became evident that similar infrastructure and systems challenges affect healthcare facilities across the Eastern Province.
In response, EMI South Africa partnered with the Zambian Ministry of Health and aligned funding partners to support the development of an Eastern Province Maternal and Child Healthcare Strategy.
In late 2025, a ten-day high-level assessment was conducted across eighteen health facilities in Eastern Province, leading to detailed evaluations at four of those facilities.
The team is now processing those in-depth visits, where days were spent walking hospital corridors, engaging leadership, observing clinical workflows, and examining how infrastructure, management systems, and service delivery intersect in maternal and child healthcare.
The visits were both fruitful and deeply humbling.
Medical Officer in Charge at St. Luke’s Mission Hospital, Raymond Kasaka shared, “We don’t get into this job to make a lot of money, it’s a ministry.
"From the cleaner to management, each of us has an important role.”
The team repeatedly encountered doctors, nurses, midwives, administrators, cleaners, and support staff serving tirelessly despite resource and infrastructure limitations. They carry healthcare forward every day.
Insights gathered from these detailed assessments will shape the next phase of EMI engagement. We are working closely with healthcare leadership to clarify project scope, discern appropriate scale, and thoughtfully position each initiative for future implementation.
We want these improvements in maternal and child healthcare to take root and bear fruit in the long-term.
This engagement in Zambia is shaping EMI as well.
Partnerships have deepened. Trust has grown. The scale of need has become clearer. And a long-term vision is forming.
We long to see this work expand in scope and impact, serving healthcare systems and communities across Zambia for years to come.
