Africa-Press – Tanzania. THERE are over 720 medical experts serving as existing proof of how the late Benjamin Mkapa groomed young medical staff after he retired as the third-phase President, it has been learnt.
With his passion to transform the health sector and improve the general health of Tanzanians, especially those in underserved areas, the former president chose to groom young medical professionals in contributing to the country’s efforts to address shortage of such professionals.
Mzee Mkapa nurtured upcoming health professionals by initiating ‘Mkapa Fellows Programme’ (MFP) which is implemented by the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF).
When initiating the programme in 2005, Mkapa intended to increase equitable access of HIV/AIDS services to rural and hard to reach areas through recruitment and deployment of skilled health professionals who were provided fellowship.
The groomed medical staff was part of Mkapa’s legacy as highlighted during a symposium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday to honour Mkapa’s life and legacy, a year after his death.
Speaking on behalf groomed medical experts, Dr Kusirye Ukio, who is the Morogoro Regional Medical Officer, narrated that he was groomed by President Mkapa right after he graduated from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in 2004.
Dr Ukio who at that time was fresh from college with no experience, was taken in as Mkapa fellow.
After being groomed and acquiring experience, he was employed by the government as a medical officer in Morogoro and later transferred to Siha in the same capacity before being promoted to Morogoro Regional Medical Officer.
“I together with other fellows were first entrants of the Mkapa fellows programme, and I had an opportunity to face unforeseen challenges head-on, such as scarcity of resources, geographical barriers, and how best to link with existing government’s structures to bring about the needed results,” Dr Ukio said of the Mkapa fellows Programme.
Before being posted to the field, the foundation imparted the fellows with needed skills and knowledge to address challenges, though a lot was acquired in the field.
“The fellows programme was my inception to public service, and despite the turbulent journey, it has been key to serving my achievements at certain level,” he admitted.
He said one of the key lessons he has learnt in that journey as a fellow was the role of leadership in achieving the set goals.
Dr Ukio described Mkapa as a role model to most of the fellows, saying he was a visionary and always emphasized on being creative and innovative.
The MFP has recorded significant achievements, with nearly a million people benefiting from the programme to date.
Achievements include a 43 per cent increase in pregnant women tested for HIV, a 31 per cent increase in pregnant women on HIV treatments, and a 26 per cent increase of women delivering at health facilities.
To date, the programme has focused on reproductive, maternal, new-born and child health (RMNCH) and HIV/AIDS services in 11 selected districts of Mwanza, Dodoma, Kigoma, Simiyu, Rukwa and Shinyanga regions. This focus was in direct response to the high maternal and infant mortality rates in these regions.
