Author: DEOGRATIUS KAMAGI
AfricaPress-Tanzania: FORMER President Benjamin Mkapa’s passion of working for his country continued even after his retirement from the country’s top office in 2005.
The late Mzee Mkapa initiated Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF) that focused helping the government improve health services particularly reducing the spread of HIV and Aids.
Apart from playing its crucial role in the health sector the BMF has also created employment opportunities for health workers in efforts to boost health service delivery in the country. The former president initiated the foundation, the main focus being on contributing towards attainment of better health outcomes through innovative health and related system solutions.
This was the part of his post presidential life after 2005. In executing the plan BMF has set a goal to supplement government efforts by implementing various plans, including employing more than 2000 health practitioners. The objective is to increase the number of professionals in health facilities.
In this case, the foundation has continued to strengthen community health by collaborating with councils at village and ward levels. In 2018 the Foundation employed 324 community health workers with the Irish Aid sponsorship.
They are currently working in Mwanza, Dodoma and Simiyu regions and 55 more are expected to be assigned in Mwanza. Moreover, in early this month, the foundation employed a total of 575 health professionals to work in 72 councils in 13 regions of Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Mara, Songwe, Dodoma, Arusha, Mtwara, Kigoma, Mwanza, Simiyu, Mbeya and Coast region.
Following their recruitment, BMF embarked on the deployment process including orientation and signing of contracts for all newly recruited health workers based in Dar es Salaam as one among the beneficiary regions.
The employment opportunities have been possible through the support from the UKAID-Department for International Development (DFID), Irish Aid and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The good work by the BMF has won government trust with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Prof Mabula Mchembe commending the organisation for its tireless efforts to seek financial support from various development partners, which has helped a lot to increase the number of health personnel in different health facilities in the country.
Prof Mchembe also applauded the institution for collaborating with government authorities, to ensure that the employment is being done by observing the required procedures. “I call upon all employees to work by observing professional ethics in areas they have been assigned,” he said.
The BMF Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Ellen Senkoro was quoted recently as saying that the foundation had employed 3,004 health practitioners where 1,064 have secured employment in civil service so that they can continue to provide better services to the citizens.
She said that since its establishment, BMF was working closely with the government in efforts to address various challenges affecting the provision of better services, including shortage of health practitioners, which is currently at 52 per cent.
The CEO noted that BMF is implementing its five year Strategic Business Plan III 2019-2024, which is in line with the National Development Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals 2030. On the partnership with the ministry, she said they had secured support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to employ 565 community health workers in Dar es Salaam.
The late Mzee Mkapa reinstated his continued commitment to work with every partner and individuals in ensuring constructive policy dialogues on national frameworks that will fast track attainment of the three targets including enhancing HIV prevention, quality of care, treatment and support of people living with HIV and AIDS, and mitigating stigma related to the same.
“I call upon the Governments and Partners to build sustainable primary health care which is inclusive of community based health care programs, and at the same time aligning stakeholders support to national policies, strategies and plans towards Universal health coverage,” read part of his message on the BMF foundation.
He moreover, urged health stakeholders towards a well-balanced and optimal investment in prevention and curative models.
In 2019, the foundation launched its third Strategic Business Plan (SBP III) promising 156bn/-injection into the health sector aiming at complementing and supporting government efforts in delivery of health care services through strategic partnerships.
“Tanzania has continued registering impressive progress towards attaining the national and global development projects. Hence, I believe through the outstanding leadership of the government of Tanzania, we shall successfully advance through socio-economic transformation towards attaining middle-income status,” the former president remarked.
The initiative sought to facilitate the attainment of Tanzania Development Vision2025 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
