IRINGA: Tanzania Council for
Social Development (TACOSODE) Executive Director, Theofrida Kapinga said
the government should improve the collection of domestic revenue, in
order to raise the health budget, particularly for HIV/AIDS, maternal
health, pregnant women and infants.
She said that the government should be
committed to collect domestic revenue and prevent embezzlement of public
funds in order to improve the health sector, rather than depending on
donor funds which sometime come with strings or sometimes it doesn’t
come at all.
Kapinga made the statement on Friday
last week during a one day panel discussion held in Iringa, involving
officials from medical stores department (MSD), district Medical
Officer’s office, health facilities in charges and media members.
The panel discussion was meant to discuss the sustainable ways for supplying family planning drugs and medical supplies.
She observed the government must stick
on Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) process which requires wise
spending of public funds instead of using external resources.
Domestic Resource Mobilization refers to
the generation of savings from domestic resources and their allocation
to economically and socially productive investments.
TACOSODE is implement the citizens
engaging in government oversight (CEGO) in health project in Kongwa
(Dodoma) and Iringa districts, through Social Accountability Monitoring
(SAM) funded by United States Agency for International Development
(USAID).
Tanzania is among African countries that
have failed to achieve the objectives of setting aside 15 percent of
its national budget for the health sector based on Abuja Declaration
being reached in 2001.
The resolution has been achieved by the
leaders of the African Union (AU) in their meeting in Abuja, Nigeria
where, among other things they discussed the challenges facing the
health sector in Africa.
According to the report presented by the
district laboratory technologist (Iringa DC) Greyson Malila during
panel discussion on the supply system of medical equipment and supplies
including laboratory reagents, said there is challenge they face
including Pharmaceuticals and medical supplies not coming in time from
MSD.
Malila said lack of some medical
equipment and supplies including lab reagents in the health centers and
hospitals in the district like Stool containers, Urine container and
Gluco plus strips are hindering provision of quality health services.
He said that often approved funds or
the health budget come very late and sometimes come less compared the
requested funds from the central government which making the district
council not providing health services effectively.
Iringa district council has 75 centers
that provide health care, including 10 health centers, 65 dispensaries
and hospitals designated Tosamaganga.
On his part, Medical Stores Department
(MSD) Iringa Zone Customer Service Officer, Henry Luanda said MSD was
established by the Act of Parliament No. 13 of 1993.
MSD is a department within the Ministry
of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children
(MOHCDGEC) MSD has core three functions; Procurement, Storage and
Distribution.
He said MSD provides services to all
government hospitals, public organizations, FBO and other private
hospitals approved by the ministry.
District, regional hospitals and DDH get
allocations of funds from MOHCDGEC thus get medicines from MSD
according to their allocations.
Luanda said that basically funds from
the ministry is not sufficient though for this financial year set budget
has raised to 250b which is higher compared to FY2015/2016.
“Due to that the government allowed
other sources to be used to reduce existing gap: NHIF, CHF, TIKA / cost
sharing and Basket fund. All these are to ensure people get appropriate
services for their health,” Luanda said.
He further noted that the out of stock
for some essential medicines and medical supplies was due to the delay
of disbursement of funds from the ministry of health and also delay of
settlement of debts for goods sold through Local Purchas Orders (LPO’s)
and Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs).
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