Zambia has recorded a major milestone in specialised healthcare following the country’s first-ever cochlear implant surgery, performed at the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) Adult Hospital in Lusaka.
The procedure was carried out on a 20-year-old woman who lost her hearing in 2023 by UTH Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists working alongside a visiting medical team from the Czech Republic under the Czech Government’s MEDEVAC programme.
The achievement marks an important step towards improving access to advanced hearing treatment in Zambia and reducing the need for patients to seek specialised medical care abroad.
Speaking during a press briefing at UTH, Senior Medical Superintendent Dr Charles Mbewe, who represented Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Dr Kennedy Lishimpi, said the successful operation demonstrated Zambia’s growing capacity to provide advanced medical services locally.
Dr Lishimpi said the milestone laid the foundation for establishing a sustainable national cochlear implant programme, supported by international partnerships and the continued development of local medical expertise.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening hearing health services through prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
Czech Ambassador to Zambia Jiří Kyrian described the achievement as a significant development in medical cooperation between the two countries.
He said the MEDEVAC programme, which began in 2023, had become one of the most successful areas of bilateral cooperation. A Memorandum of Understanding signed on April 9, 2024, established partnerships between Czech hospitals and Zambia’s National Heart Hospital, UTH, Women and Newborn Hospital in Lusaka, and Lewanika General Hospital in Mongu.
Since the programme began, several Czech medical missions have visited Zambia, while 29 Zambian specialists have undertaken internships and advanced training in the Czech Republic.
The collaboration has enabled medical teams to treat more than 260 patients and perform over 270 surgical procedures in paediatric cardiac surgery, traumatology and ENT. Neonatology specialists also joined the programme this year.
“For the first time in Zambia and with help of MEDEVAC, first Zambian patient received a cochlear implant here in Lusaka. A life-changing intervention indeed,” Ambassador Kyrian said.
The head of the visiting Czech medical team, Consultant ENT Surgeon Professor Zdeněk Čada, said cochlear implantation represented a major advancement in the treatment of severe hearing loss.
Unlike conventional hearing aids, which amplify sound, a cochlear implant uses an electronic system to stimulate the auditory nerve, helping eligible patients access sound. The technology can also support speech and language development, depending on the patient’s circumstances and rehabilitation.
UTH Adult Hospital Head of Clinical Care Dr Humphrey Kunda said the achievement would help address gaps in specialised medical expertise that had previously forced some patients to seek treatment outside the country.
He expressed confidence that continued training, knowledge transfer and collaboration with international specialists would eventually enable Zambian medical teams to perform such procedures independently.
The operation was among the complex cases planned during the fourth ENT surgical camp at UTH Adult Hospital, which ran from October 8 to 16, 2026. A total of 56 patients had been scheduled for surgery during the camp.
UTH said the programme was not only providing specialised treatment to patients but also strengthening local capacity through practical training and the exchange of knowledge between Zambian and visiting medical professionals.
The first cochlear implant surgery is therefore an important step towards expanding specialised healthcare services in Zambia, while demonstrating how international partnerships can help build local expertise and improve access to life-changing medical interventions.