PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has once again banned the rampant practice by medical practitioners of ordering patients to purchase medicines out of established public facilities as the government spends billions of taxpayers’ money in availing drugs in health facilities.
Addressing Kigoma residents at Mwanga community grounds in Ujiji Municipality on Friday evening, the prime minister said the malpractice should stop forthwith.
Putting Kigoma Region into context, he remarked: “The government has disbursed a lot of money for Kigoma region to finance several development projects, out of which more than 4.6bn/- is meant for purchasing drugs,” adding: “Ujiji Municipality on its part receives 50million/- each month to procure medicine; there’s thus no reason for people to go outside the public hospital to get medicine.”
The premier further said that the fifth phase government was committed to improving health care services as well as move health services closer to people for them not to walk long distances searching for the important service.
On the same note, Mr Majaliwa has instructed leaders of KigomaUjiji Municipal Council, especially councillors, to oversee and ensure better use of the various funds provided by the government for financing development projects.
The PM deplored the tendency of some people in Kigoma Region to claim compensation even for woodland areas and discourages some development projects including the construction of a regional hospital, urging them to change.
“People wave placards to highlight their problems whenever top government leaders visit you because regional leaders have not set aside specific days and time to listen to people’s concerns and address them; it’s high time you did so,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Majaliwa took part in Friday prayers at Mujahidina mosque in Buzebazeba area in Kigoma Urban, where he used the opportunity to remind Muslims and the rest of wananchi at large to continue maintaining peace.
He further advised them to get back to palm oil cultivation as the government had decided to revive the crop in the region for them to overcome poverty.
“ For those who desire to cultivate the crop, you will be given seedlings when the planting time comes,” he said.
In another development, Mr Majaliwa said he was pleased with the progress made by the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in the production of improved palm seed variety.
Speaking at the institute in Kigoma, he received research reports on the progress made on production of better palm oil seeds conducted by TARI from 2018 whereby up to 15 February 2020, it had yielded 1,525,017 seeds that can be used in a 30,500 acres farm.
Premier Majaliwa said the government had decided to give priority to palm production aimed at ending the problem of availability of edible oil in the country.
He pointed out that improved yields would enable Tanzania to produce enough to cater for domestic demand and sell the excess abroad.
The prime minister urged people, especially the youth, to grab such opportunities to respond to the crop cultivated in abundance since there was an assurance of getting abundant produce.
He also instructed agricultural extension officers to provide necessary advice to farmers in their areas and instruct them on better ways of cultivating the crop from an early stage of processing and use modern inputs so that they can boost productivity
