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Add captionA cross-section of participants in group work discussion during the meeting yesterday to discuss the challenge in providing healthcare services in Iringa district organized by TACOSODE non-governmental organization through a citizens engaging in government oversight (CEGO) in the health services project. (Photo by Friday Simbaya)
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The health sector stakeholders have requested the Community Health Fund Act of 2001 to be reviewed in order to demonstrate how compensation for the services provided to special groups could be refunded.
They said they want to know where and how the compensation will be provided to raise funds for pharmaceutical purchases.
Tanzania Council for Social Development (TACOSODE) through the project of empowering citizens to engage in government oversight (CEGO) in health services provision conducted a one day Community Health Fund (CHF) advocacy meeting held at Kihesa-Kilolo in Iringa town.
They said yesterday at a meeting to discuss the challenge in providing healthcare services in Iringa district organized by TACOSODE non-governmental organization through a citizens engaging in government oversight (CEGO) in the health services project.
The meeting included clinicians from dispensaries and health centres, ward councilors, district planning officer, community development officer, district CHF coordinator, ward executive officers, the district medical officer and other stakeholders.
They said the government should take and pay compensation for health services provided to specific groups that receive health care from hospitals, health centers and clinics, adding that those groups were spending most of the CHF members' money.
They said that pardoning (exemption) groups do not pay for health care and make CHF members to have the burdensome because the centers are not compensated.
The CHF Act of 2001 in section 10 (1) gives ward health committees authority to grant exemptions to specific groups such as pregnant, elderly, disabled and children under five years old.
Section 10 (2) gives these committees compensation to the health services provided to these groups, but the law does not specify where the committees scout for funds to cover the services provided.
They said that there was a shift in the backbone of CHF contributors and discouraged them from continuing to contribute to the fund and thus promoting a wave of drug shortages, antibiotics and medical supplies.
On the other hand, the community health fund (CHF) coordinator Iringa district Dora Mlomo said there was poor public participation in the fund leading to failure to provide health care.
Mlomo urged citizens to join the fund that could improve the healthcare delivery as it would cost ten thousand shillings per year.
She said that citizens should be joining so many that the money available to many and able to serve even forgiven groups.
Charles Nyagawa who is Mlowa ward councilor said politicians are a source of underdevelopment in various areas in the country.
He said there were some politicians who threatened the people not contribute towards development, such as construction of schools and health centres and making projects impossible to implement.
Nyangawa said that the issue of development was not to be politically motivated except politicians should be organized to bring about the development of the people.
He said that politicians from the ruling party (CCM) and those on the other side would support the government's efforts to implement the party's policies.
TACOSODE Advocacy Strategist Abraham Kimuli said the meeting aimed at sharing experience on issues raised by TACOSODE during CEGO in health project implementation in Iringa and Kongwa district councils.
He said through the USAID funding the meeting was looking at CHF compensation to the exempted special groups, management and administration to the "CHF Act of 2001" and proposed the way forward.
The meeting also advocated to the Ministry of Health for review procedures for CHF compensation, management and administration as provided for CHF Act of 2001 to reduce the burden carried by CHF members.
Furthermore, the executive director of TACOSODE Theofrida advised the government to allocate a budget at least to the proposed level in the Abuja Declaration which is 15 per cent of the state budget.
She said that the government should be managing local revenue as donors are slow to reduce the financial contribution to the health sector in order to break free.
Kapinga said the government should provide all the approved and timely funds to enable health projects and services to be done as planned to avoid providing services under the scope.
