Clinical Officers' Association of Zambia - COAZ

03/08/2026

Reminder

Dear Colleagues.
October is just a month in-between, The Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting is on as planned...!!
Yes...!!! you thought it's far...?

22nd to 23rd October are the Dates
Venue is Avani

Due Date for payment of Participation Fee is 30th September, 2026.

01/08/2026

Remember we promised you that we shall give our branded Coats to all Newly Employed and the old in the system who never had a chance to get in the few phases that we were giving out.
The update is that your coats are being packaged and some have started being delivered to Districts.

We will send them to your Districts through your District leaderships.

Happy New Month to you all.

29/07/2026

15/07/2026

Health Workers will Renew licenses and pay for sending applications. But guess what, they are expected to become Sangomas to predict where positions are.

14/07/2026

TRANSPARENCY IS NOT OPTIONAL: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARE NOT APPLYING FOR INVISIBLE JOBS

The Clinical Officers Association of Zambia (COAZ) has noted with profound disappointment and serious concern the manner in which the Ministry of Health and the Civil Service Commission have advertised the current health worker recruitment exercise.

While we welcome Government’s decision to recruit additional health professionals, we unequivocally condemn the failure to disclose the number of vacancies available for each profession and the specific districts, facilities or duty stations where these positions exist.

This is not a minor administrative oversight. It is a fundamental failure of transparent public sector recruitment.

Health professionals are not applying for invisible jobs in invisible locations. They are expected to uproot their lives, relocate their families, make financial commitments and plan their professional futures. Yet they are being asked to submit applications for vacancies whose numbers are unknown and whose locations have apparently been classified like state secrets.

Perhaps applicants are expected to possess supernatural abilities to somehow know where Government intends to post them before Government itself is willing to say.

If the Ministry of Health knows where the staffing shortages exist and it certainly does, because recruitment is based on approved establishment gaps what conceivable justification exists for concealing that information from the very professionals it seeks to recruit?

One cannot advertise vacancies while hiding where those vacancies exist. That is not transparency. It is like inviting passengers to board a bus without telling them the destination and expecting them to thank the driver for the opportunity.

Even a supermarket tells customers which branch has the product. Yet highly trained health professionals are apparently expected to apply first and discover later where the job actually exists.

International best practice could not be clearer. The International Labour Organization (ILO) requires recruitment processes to provide workers with clear, accurate and timely information regarding employment opportunities. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) promotes public service recruitment that is open, transparent and merit-based. Likewise, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) recommends that vacancy advertisements contain sufficient information to enable candidates to make informed decisions before applying.

Unfortunately, the current advertisement falls well below these internationally recognised standards.

Transparency is not measured by simply publishing an advert. Transparency is measured by publishing enough information for applicants to make informed decisions. An advertisement that conceals the most important details does not inspire confidence it invites speculation.

The Association is equally concerned that this recruitment exercise appears to be proceeding against the backdrop of an outdated and inadequate health workforce establishment. Recruitment is not merely about filling payroll positions. It is about deploying the right professionals to the right facilities based on objectively determined health service needs. Without a credible workforce distribution framework, recruitment risks becoming an administrative ritual rather than a strategic investment in healthcare delivery.

Even more astonishing is that professional associations the very organisations Government routinely describes as strategic partners were completely excluded from this process.

The National Health Policy (2026) recognises professional associations as key stakeholders responsible for promoting professional competence, quality of care and continuous professional development. Curiously, however, these stakeholders appear to become invisible whenever decisions affecting thousands of professionals are being made.

This raises an unavoidable question: is stakeholder engagement now defined as reading the same newspaper advertisement as everyone else?

We wish to make it unequivocally clear to our members and the general public that the Clinical Officers Association of Zambia was neither consulted nor engaged regarding this recruitment exercise. We learnt of the advertisement exactly as every other Zambian did through a public notice. That is not stakeholder engagement.That is stakeholder observation.

A recruitment exercise cannot genuinely claim to be transparent when applicants do not know how many positions exist, where those positions are located, or how the allocations were determined. Professionals should not be expected to apply for employment through what increasingly resembles a national guessing competition.

Public recruitment is not a lottery. It is a governance process, and governance demands openness.

Accordingly, the Clinical Officers Association of Zambia calls upon the Ministry of Health and the Civil Service Commission to immediately publish:

1.the number of vacancies allocated to each health profession;
2.the objective criteria guiding deployment.

Health professionals deserve certainty not guesswork.

Public institutions entrusted with managing national recruitment processes must demonstrate transparency, not merely pronounce it.

Issued by:

President
Clinical Officers Association of Zambia
Dr. Jones Neba

10/07/2026

The process for the procurement of COAZ Branded Coats is underway... Eligible people for this exercise include;
1. All Newly Recruited (COGs, COPs, MLPs, OCOs, EMTs, MHOs, COAs, Tacos etc)
2. All Old Clinical Officers' (As stated above) who have never received a branded Coat.

How to receive;
- Engage your District Chairpersons to share a link for registration and submission of coat size.
- Verification process will be done to remove all those who have received a coat before according to our Database. Meaning if you have received before kindly do not fill in the registration form, we shall not give you.
- Receiving of these coats Will done through your District Executive Committee members.

These coats are free for our members.

We promised... We shall deliver...
Doers... Do...!!!

08/07/2026

Happy International Paramedics Day! 🚑❤️

Today, we proudly celebrate all paramedics whose courage, professionalism and unwavering commitment save countless lives every day.
You are often the first healthcare professionals to reach those in critical need, providing life-saving care under the most challenging circumstances.

On behalf of the Clinical Officers Association of Zambia (COAZ), I extend our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to every paramedic in Zambia and around the world. Your dedication, resilience and compassion are invaluable to our Health Care System and the communities you serve.

As healthcare professionals, we stand together in our shared mission of delivering quality, timely and patient-centred care.

May you continue to serve with strength, excellence and integrity.

Happy International Paramedics Day!

By: Emmanuel Kashimu
Publicity and Coordination Secretary
Clinical Officers Association of Zambia (COAZ)

26/06/2026

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of the entire Association, it is my distinct honor and privilege to extend our warmest and most heartfelt wishes to you on this special day.

Today, we celebrate not just another year of your life, but the extraordinary impact you have had on each of us and on the very fabric of our organization. Your leadership has been a steady compass, guiding us through challenges with a clarity of vision that inspires confidence in even the most uncertain times. You have a rare gift for seeing the big picture while never losing sight of the individuals who make up this Association. Your strategic foresight, your profound humility especially in a world that often celebrates titles and accolades, you lead with a quiet strength that puts service above self. You listen more than you speak, you value every voice at the table, and you never hesitate to roll up your sleeves to ensure that work is done. That humility is not a weakness; it is your greatest strength.

Your guidance has shaped our collective journey in ways too numerous to count. You have taught us that leadership is about stewardship, that progress is built on collaboration and that integrity must always be the foundation of our decisions.

As you celebrate this milestone, we hope you take a moment to pause and reflect on the immense legacy you are building. Know that your dedication does not go unnoticed and your sacrifices are deeply appreciated by every member of this family.

May this new year of your life bring you good health, boundless joy and the quiet satisfaction of a life well-lived in service to others.

May you be surrounded by the love of family and friends, and may you feel the warmth of our collective gratitude today and always.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.

We are profoundly grateful for you.

With deepest respect and admiration.

Clinical Officers' Association of Zambia National Executive

25/06/2026

CLINICAL OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA (COAZ)

To Mr. Hakainde Hichilema
President of the Republic of Zambia
Lusaka
24th June 2026

Your Excellency

RE: APPEAL FOR URGENT GOVERNMENT ACTION ON THE STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES AFFECTING CLINICAL OFFICERS IN ZAMBIA

On behalf of the Clinical Officers Association of Zambia (COAZ) and the thousands of Clinical Officers serving the people of Zambia, we wish to convey our sincere appreciation for your Government's commitment to strengthening the health sector and improving access to quality healthcare services for all citizens.

Clinical Officers remain the backbone of healthcare delivery, particularly in rural and underserved communities where they constitute the majority of frontline healthcare providers. Over the years, Government has invested significantly in the training and development of Clinical Officers through degree-level and specialist programmes in areas such as Medical Licentiate Practice, Clinical Anaesthesia, Ophthalmology, Mental Health and Psychiatry, among others.

Despite these investments, serious structural challenges continue to affect the Clinical Officer workforce. While training and professional competencies have advanced, the public service establishment has not been adequately aligned to recognize these developments. Consequently, many degree-holder and specialist Clinical Officers continue to be employed and remunerated under structures designed for diploma holders, with limited opportunities for career progression and advancement.

Your Excellency, the absence of recognized establishment positions for specialist Clinical Officers has resulted in the underutilization of highly trained personnel and has negatively affected morale within the profession. Furthermore, the lack of clear progression pathways and appropriate remuneration frameworks has created inequities that undermine Government's efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and achieve Universal Health Coverage.

As Zambia prepares for future democratic processes, Clinical Officers and the communities they serve are eager to see practical solutions to these longstanding concerns. We respectfully request your intervention and leadership in ensuring that the following matters are addressed through the relevant ministries or authorities:

1. Review of the 2015 Job Evaluation and Grading Framework as it relates to Clinical Officers.
2. Creation and recognition of establishment positions for degree-holder and specialist Clinical Officers within the Public Service.
3. Development of structured career progression pathways from entry-level to specialist and advanced practice levels.
4. Alignment of remuneration and conditions of service with qualifications, competencies, and responsibilities.
5. Integration of specialist Clinical Officers into workforce planning and deployment frameworks.
6. Strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Health, Public Service Management Division, Emoluments Commission, regulatory bodies, and training institutions to ensure policy coherence.

Your Excellency, addressing these concerns will not only improve the welfare and motivation of Clinical Officers but will also strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce referral burdens, improve access to specialized services, and contribute significantly to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in Zambia.

We remain confident in your Government's commitment to fairness, equity, and evidence-based policy reforms. We therefore humbly request an audience or support for a high-level policy dialogue involving relevant stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions to these challenges.

We pledge our continued commitment to serving the people of Zambia diligently and professionally while supporting Government's agenda of improving health outcomes for all citizens.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Jones Neba
President
Clinical Officers Association of Zambia (COAZ)

24/06/2026

Have you made your mind up? Kindly contact us now for registration and for more details.

0975488322 or
0976124449