Tanzania registers growth in health care move

Monday, 24 June 2013 09:55 Kenan Kalagh, EAST AFRICAN BUSINESS WEEK, KAMPALA, UGANDA

DAR ES SALAAM - The government of Tanzania has recorded considerable growth in health and social welfare care sector through the Benjamin Mkapa HIV and Aid foundation initiatives.

(Prime Minister Pinda (C) presenting gifts to best implementers of B. MKapa HiV and Aids project, left is former TZ President Mkapa left and Dr. Senkoro CEO of Mkapa Foundation, Photo BY Kenan Kalagho)
Speaking in Dar es salaam this week, Tanzania Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said that the the country has seen a decrease in incidences of major health problems that included HIV prevalence to 5.1% in year 2012 from seven percent in 2004 where as under five mortality has also been decreased to 79 percent between 2011/12 from 112 in the year 2004/5.
Mr. Pinda said that with only a workforce of 47 percent health care workers in operational countrywide, there was need for the for the government and private entities to work together in order to overcome the shortage of health care personnel in the country for effective health results.
“We need to make sure that the underserved areas in the country have health workers and are retained in their respective areas of work, Pinda said noting that he was glad to see that the Mkapa Foundation was scaling such initiatives which are also in line with the government policies”
Pinda however noted that despite the efforts and progress being made by Mkapa Foundation in improving the health sector in the country by ensuring the retention of health care workers in rural areas, training health care staffs and construction of modern laboratories in rural areas, the country still a minimal decline in maternal health.
He said Tanzania was still registering deaths of 454 expectant mothers out of 100,000 live births saying the initial efforts being made by Mkapa Foundation of integrating maternal health is a commendable effort aims at bringing life saving services closer to the community in the rural areas.