Insurance scheme to cover heart disease, maternal health

Dar es Salaam. People with heart complications and expectant mothers have reason to smile after the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) introduced an insurance package to cover them.

This was said yesterday by NHIF acting assistant director general Bernard Konga during a press conference.

NHIF will also cover cardiac surgeries at all levels, caesarean sections as well as surgery for appendix which had been excluded from the funding scheme.

He said the move is in line with the national policies of improving health services. NHIF has standardised consultation fees and medicine charges in all health facilities registered with national insurance facility across the country.

He said medical services costs have raised by 13 per cent on average and the change will not affect consumers’ contributions.

Currently, there are 6,439 registered health service provision centres, 5,091 of which or 79 per cent being government owned, while nine per cent or 572 are owned by religious organisations and 776 (12 per cent) are under private-sectors.

He said the changes were made following research findings.