GOVERNMENT has set aside US$29 million to help improve staffing, specialisation skills among health staff and complete the modernisation of major hospitals and health centres nationwide.

Health Minister Joseph Kasonde confirmed the development at a media briefing in Ndola yesterday shortly before he met with management at Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) and Arthur Davison Children's Hospital (ADH).

Dr Kasonde said the US$29 million was a constitution of funds from the 2013 budgetary allocation, the $750 million Euro Bond and donor funding sourced from the government of Saudi Arabia.

"This year Government has set aside $29 million for improving the quality of health personnel and completing the hospital modernisation process and this money was gathered from donor funding from the Government of Saudi Arabia, the recently acquired Euro Bond from the Ministry of Finance and other budgetary allocations," Dr Kasonde said.

He reiterated that health provision was a fundamental human exercise and as such the State had set out to increase the number of specialised personnel and to also ensure that health institutions in the country were clean, caring and run by competent personnel.

Meanwhile, Government has successfully contained the cholera outbreak that has claimed four lives and left more than 35 admitted to hospitals in Luapula Province.

"We have taken control of the cholera outbreak in Luapula Province and there will be no more outbreaks," he said.

He dismissed claims that the outbreak was as a result of the influx of refugees entering the country from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saying people should adhere to health regulations so as to maintain a safe and hygienic environment.