Lusaka — Zambian President Rupiah Banda on Wednesday assured donors that his government is effecting new measures to make the Ministry of Health more accountable and transparent in financial management.

The Global Fund has suspended funding to Zambia's Ministry of Health because of evident fraud while the Dutch and Swedish governments in May 2009 froze aid to the same ministry following reports of embezzlement of public funds.

President Banda, in a speech read for him at the 40th anniversary of Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) in the capital Lusaka, said the new measures would ensure that the health ministry was transparent and sound in its financial, management and procurement practices.

Without mentioning The Global Fund's freezing of aid, President Banda said "with our cooperating partners back on board and my own government's commitment, funding to the health sector will improve to levels where people will be able to access most services".

The Dutch and Swedes have resumed conditional funding to the Ministry of Health. The ministry underplayed The Global Fund's suspension of aid.

"The (ministry) spokesperson will be issuing a statement [about Global Fund]," said Dr Peter Mwaba, the permanent secretary of health ministry.

President Banda said his government was putting in place programmes to bring health services closer to the people.

It is no secret that funding to the health sector has not reached the desired levels of 15 per cent of the national budget as was recommended by the Abuja Declaration of 2001.