THE Universal Health for all is among the items that are on the top agenda, when the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children tables its budget for 2021/2022 fiscal year.
This move is aimed at improving health services in the country. It also targets availing a number of health insurance packages for people from all walks of life as the government wants to ensure all citizens are assured of medical services.
Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Godwin Mollel announced that in the National Assembly, when responding to Janeth Mahawanga (Special Seats-CCM).
He said they expect to table the bill on Universal Health Insurance for all in the ongoing session, which will extend the scope of packages.
Moreover, he said, they are working on the best modalities to see how they will increase the number of pharmacies which have contract with National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), to cover the rural and remote areas.
He said currently, there are a number of pharmacies which have contract with the NHIF, insisting that the pharmacies have been playing a crucial role as they fill in the gaps and provide services to members in areas where hospital services were unavailable.
On entrepreneurs' health insurance, the deputy minister said NHIF has introduced packages for special groups, which have formalised their groups.
He named the groups of entrepreneurs which have benefitted from the packages as farmers through 225 Cooperative Societies and Unions, which accommodated 6,196 members.
Others are groups of hawkers 'machingas', small entrepreneurs, small scale miners, fishermen, food vendors and union of motorcyclists' riders, who are the beneficiaries of the special registered groups' packages.
Moreover, he said, for entrepreneurs who are not under any umbrella group, there are personal packages through the recently released packages, where one chooses according to his age and the number of beneficiaries.
Dr Mollel said the services and charges are well stipulated in the packages whereas as of March 31st this year, more than 32,343 members have been registered.
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