DNK International By Xinhua.
The Zambian government is considering deploying health personnel to neighboring countries to address the high number of unemployed graduates from health training institutions, a senior government official said on Monday.
Minister of Health Elijah Muchima said the output of health workers from training institutions currently exceeds the government’s capacity to absorb them into public service, leaving many graduates unemployed.
“We are still lobbying other countries to see how we can reduce the number of unemployed health personnel,” he said in a live interview on Diamond Television.
While noting that it remains the government’s desire to employ all trained health workers, Muchima said fiscal and structural constraints make it difficult to do so immediately, prompting the exploration of overseas placement opportunities.
According to the minister, the government is negotiating with Angola, which requested specialist health personnel during President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent visit to the country.
However, he said the arrangement has not yet materialized, as several outstanding issues still need to be resolved. The official added that discussions are also underway with other countries in the region.
[DNK-International@February 17,2026
