Author: Nelly Mtema
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has strongly refuted a report circulating in various media platforms that claims that the Fund has removed a total of 138 drugs from the list of medicines offered to its beneficiaries.
Speaking yesterday, NHIF Director General Benard Konga said there are no changes in the NHIF essential list of drugs, asking service providers to contact the management of the Fund should they encounter any challenges.
Mr Konga directed service providers to be guided by the terms of contracts in offering services to members of Fund.
On Friday, a report started circulating in social media which claimed that NHIF had deleted some essential medicines from the list, creating confusion and disturbances for members of the Fund.
“We have increased the number of essential medicines to the drug list from 694 in 2015 to 975 and improved the benefits package with the ultimate goal of addressing the challenges that arise according to time,” he said.
He called upon services providers to honour their terms of their contract which, among oth- ers, want them to offer the best services to the fund members.
“We, at NHIF, have all along been pressing for the provision of good and quality health services to the members because to us quality service is their priority,” he said.
Mr Konga said they will start making a close follow up with service providers such as hospitals, health centres, dispensaries and pharmacies which have signed contrac- tual terms with the Fund to establish if they live up to their contracts.
He said NHIF will not tolerate to see its members not getting the best services they deserve.
He called upon NHIF members who face challenges to contact the management of the Fund for quick interventions or their doctors at respective hospitals.
