AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has reaffirmed that the new hospital building programme is set to ensure quality delivery of health services and is designed to provide world-class healthcare services for patients.
Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Minister, Ms Ummy Mwalimu said in Parliament on Tuesday that the government is committed to complete its promise of building more hospitals across the country.
She said currently the government is working hard to construct regional referral hospitals in the new administrative towns of Songwe, Katavi, Njombe, Simiyu and Geita to improve specialised service provisions to Wananchi.
“We have built and renovated at least 352 health centres and 67 district referral hospitals across the country,” she said.
The government’s plan is to ensure world-class facilities for patients and staff for the long term. She was responding to a question from nominated MP, Anne Kilango Malecela.
The MP said the construction of health facilities was part of the health policy adopted in 2007. The policy calls for an equal provision of healthcare service regardless of geographical boundaries.
The MP had claimed that healthcare service was different from region to region, district to district and village to village.
She asked for the government’s clarification on existing plans and priorities to ensure uniformity in the provision of healthcare services across the country.
Ms Mwalimu assured that the government has been working hard to ensure uniformity in service delivery and part of the healthcare policy of 2007 targets to reduce congestion and distance in accessing services.
She said, therefore, the government has been working to build more health facilities that could offer world-class service regardless of their location.
