No plan to raise Sinza Palestina Health Centre to District Hospital Status

Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities), Mr Josephat Kandege. Photo | File

What you need to know:

The government has raised the subsidy for medicines and medical supplies for the Sinza Palestina Health Centre from Sh57 million in financial year 2016/17 to Sh69 million in the 2017/18 financial year.


Dodoma. The government does not have immediate plans to elevate the Sinza Palestina Health Centre in Dar es Salaam to a district hospital status, the Parliament heard on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.

The Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities), Mr Josephat Kandege said though former President Jakaya Kikwete announced in 2012 that the Centre would be elevated to District Hospital, the same will not be done.

“After the President’s announcement, we conducted an audit and established that we would need an additional space to cater to the increasing number of services that are required before elevating the Centre to District Hospital status,” he said.

Mr Kandege was responding to a question from Mr Saed Kubenea (Ubungo - Chadema) who wanted to know when the Sinza Palestina Health Centre will be elevated to District Hospital status in line with former President Kikwete’s announcement.

Mr Kandege said however that the government was doing everything possible to ensure that the Centre offers good services.

The government has raised the subsidy for medicines and medical supplies for the Sinza Palestina Health Centre from Sh57 million in financial year 2016/17 to Sh69 million in the 2017/18 financial year.

“We have deployed three specialist doctors at the Health Centre,” he said, noting that the government will also issue Sh160 million during the 2018/19 financial year to proceed with the ongoing construction of wards for male, female and children in-patients.

Ubungo District, said Mr Kandege, needs at least 25 hectares of land upon which its District Hospital will be built. A total of Sh357.73 million will be disbursed to Sinza Palestina Health Centre for the purchase of medicines and medical supplies during the 2018/19 financial year.