The Zambian Government and the United States are set to sign a revised Health Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this Thursday after resolving concerns around data protection, specimen sharing and intellectual property. Minister of Health Roma Chilengi said Cabinet had approved the revised agreement following technical reviews, consultations and amendments made in response to concerns raised by stakeholders and members of the public. Speaking during a press briefing in Lusaka, Professor Chilengi said the United States would contribute up to US$1.5 billion towards Zambia’s health sector over five years, with funding expected to be highest in the first year before progressively declining. He said Zambia would increase its domestic contribution to health financing as US support declines, an approach intended to ensure continuity of programmes and minimise the risk of a funding gap. “The combined contributions between Zambia and the US are expected to mobilise a total health financing envelope of US$3.6 billion over five years. The revised MoU is expected to be formally signed on Thursday at the Ministry of Finance, following the completion of the review and approval process,” Professor Chilengi said. On data protection, Professor Chilengi said information sharing under the agreement would be limited to data necessary for programme monitoring and evaluation, addressing concerns over the disclosure of individual patient information. He said the review also covered specimen sharing, intellectual property, the duration of the agreement and its two appendices. Professor Chilengi further dismissed reports circulating on social media suggesting that the health MoU was linked to a separate agreement concerning critical minerals, clarifying that the two agreements were unrelated. He also explained that MoUs are not ordinarily subjected to parliamentary consideration unless they involve Government borrowing or related debt obligations. Professor Chilengi said the Government would not publish the revised MoU after signing, explaining that it was not established practice to make Government MoUs publicly available. He, however, encouraged stakeholders with specific concerns to engage the Ministry of Health for clarification. The revised agreement is expected to provide a significant boost to Zambia’s health financing while placing greater emphasis on increasing domestic funding as external support gradually declines.