Health Minister Elijah Muchima says the government could hire an additional 2,500 health workers, mainly doctors, this year.
The Minister says this is expected to be conducted using external financing in an effort to attain the World Health Organization –WHO– recommended ratio of 1 doctor to 1,000 patients.
Dr. Muchima told Phoenix News that the Ministry is working with the main doctors’ association and Public Service Commission to promote and recruit doctors and other health workers who have been in the database up to 2023.
He pointed out that the government is determined to reduce the gap between patients and health workers, as evidenced from the over 20,000 health professionals who have been employed in the past four years.
Dr. Muchima highlighted that the growing population necessitates the recruitment of more health workers, and government is exploring external financing options to support the initiative.
Zambia actively employs health workers, focusing heavily on recruiting Community Health Assistants (CHAs) for rural areas and regularly hiring nurses, clinical officers, and other professionals to tackle severe staff shortages, with recent drives in late 2025 bringing in thousands to improve service delivery despite ongoing challenges like retention and brain drain.
Key Recruitment Efforts:
Community Health Assistants (CHAs): A major push since 2010 to train and deploy thousands of CHAs, who are government employees serving as first-line healthcare providers in remote communities, improving access and freeing up nurses.
Recent Mass Recruitment (Late 2025): The Civil Service Commission launched a drive for 2,000 health workers, following the recruitment of 18,000 in the preceding four years, filling roles for nurses, midwives, and clinical officers.
Targeted Programs: Initiatives like the Zambian Health Workers Retention Scheme (ZHWRS) aim to attract and keep doctors and other staff in underserved areas through incentives.
Challenges & Strategies:
Severe Shortages: Zambia faces a critical shortage, far below WHO standards, especially in rural areas.
Retention: Efforts focus on improving salaries, creating career pathways, and better working conditions to combat brain drain.
Transparency: The government emphasizes transparent, merit-based recruitment, urging public vigilance against fraudsters.
In essence, Zambia’s government is continuously recruiting and deploying various health cadres to build a robust health workforce, particularly strengthening community-based care.