AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has hired 307 healthcare professionals as it seeks to strengthen health system service delivery and reinforce the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
The Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu said here yesterday the new health workers are supposed to report to their duty stations before the tomorrow’s deadline.
The new batch of healthcare workers, whose recruitment has been made possible in collaboration with the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation, include laboratory technicians, who will oversee rapid tests for coronavirus to diagnose any new cases.
Ms Mwalimu said the 307 health personnel will be deployed in eleven regions which are in dire need of the staff, thanking the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria for their support through the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation.
Ms Mwalimu said the new workforce include nurses, clinical officers, and the laboratory technicians among others.
They will serve in the following regions; Mwanza, Shinyanga, Mara, Simiyu, Geita, Kagera, Katavi, Tabora, Dodoma, Arusha and Kigoma.
The minister said, in collaboration with the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation, they are finalizing employment logistics for additional 80 health workers who will be deployed in 28 regional, zonal and referral hospitals countrywide.
She used the occasion to advise non-governmental organisations to supplement government’s healthcare initiatives, and work in line with its priorities.
Ms Mwalimu urged NGO to divert their attention from capacity building workshops and seminars and pay special focus to the ongoing fight against coronavirus outbreak and other priority areas.
Meanwhile, the minister said the government, through the public service has announced employment opportunities for 1000 medical doctors.
This follows a recent promise made by President John Magufuli during his meeting with medical doctors February, this year.
Earlier, Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ellen Senkoro said their collaboration with the government has brought a positive impact in health services delivery.
“It is now 14 years since we started our services, during that time we have employed more than 2,181 medical practitioners, who are serving in public and religious health facilities countrywide,” she stated.
She prayed for the government’s close working relationship with civil society organisations in order to bring the much expected socio-economic development among communities.
