Africa-Press – Tanzania. MINISTER for Health Ms Ummy Mwalimu has instructed regional referral hospitals to improve service delivery and improve infrastructure in order to reduce number of patients referred to the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).
Ms Mwalimu made the remark on Tuesday in Dodoma in her meeting with staff of the medical department as part of her schedule to meet with workers of various departments under the Ministry of Health.
“In order to truly show that the medical department is a key in the ministry, you must improve the services to meet the needs of the people because they trust public hospitals,” said the minister who was recently transferred to the Ministry of Health in recent cabinet reshuffle.
Ms Mwalimu was serving as the Minister for State in the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government.
“We need to make sure the delivery of health service is good, thus it is time to work on the challenges to improve the services and reduce complaints from wananchi who seek services from the public health facilities.”
She also directed the medical department to review health services delivery guidelines to allow people to access medical services them from dispensary to national level at the required standards.
“The services offered must be beneficial to the citizens and the guidelines should also link various health facilities in the country,” Ms Mwalimu insisted.
The Minister also urged the staff to embrace teamwork spirit at workplaces and discuss challenges collectively in order to attain the objective of improving the services.
The government has invested heavily in the country’s health sector, to enhance availability of not only routine health services, but also specialised healthcare, she said.
The government’s commitment has been vividly borne out by increasing the health budget to improve access to medical drugs, facilitate the construction of health facilities countrywide and introduction of specialised services which have trimmed the number of Tanzanians seeking treatment overseas by more than 95 per cent.
Through the 1.3tri/- relief package released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the government has allocated 226.68bn/- for primary health care.
The fund will be used for improving provision of health services by constructing 75 emergency medical departments (EMDs) in 75 district councils
Moreover, it will also build 25 intensive care units (ICU) in 25 district councils and equip them with all necessary equipment.
Through the fund it will as well build oxygen plants and 73 distribution machines in accident prone areas and those which face frequent disease outbreaks.
Part of the fund, will be spent to purchase 60 X-ray machines to be dispatched to various places while all the 184 district councils in the country are set to benefit from the plan to purchase also 195 ambulances to be distributed to the marginalized health centers.
The government will purchase 212 vehicles to be used in coordination of health, social and nutrition services in 184 district councils in the 26 regions in the country, purchase 2,208 hospital beds and bed sheets, 60 fridges for blood storage and others.
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