EASTERN Province Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has commended newly appointed provincial Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Mwamba for sounding a warning to civil servants frustrating Government efforts in the province.

In a statement in Chipata yesterday, CSPR provincial coordinator Maxwell Nkhoma said Mr Mwamba's call for an improved work culture was a clear indication that he was eager to deliver quality service to the people.

"Mr Mwamba must be supported by all well-meaning people in the province if development is to take place. We are encouraged to see the PS talk so passionately about service delivery and the need for civil servants to change attitude towards work.

"We wish to eulogise him and thank him for timely warning erring civil servants," Mr Nkhoma said.

He said it was only when the civil service was re-organised that quality service delivery could be achieved.

He urged the new Permanent Secretary to tour the newly created districts of Sinda and Vubwi to familiarise himself with the challenges they were facing.

Mr Nkhoma said the service delivery had remained poor in sectors such as health, infrastructure development, agriculture, water and sanitation.

"The agriculture sector is faced with a lot of challenges such as poor provision of agriculture extension services," he said.

He said service delivery in the health sector was below the expected standards as people still had to walk long distances to access critical drugs.

Mr Nkhoma said the Government should increase the number of clinics administering anti-retroviral drugs, especially in rural areas.