Health cover for farmers gets new push
NBC Bank managing director Theobald Sabi. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Through the deal, farmers are to receive health-care attention through a farmers’ health insurance scheme known as ‘Ushirika Afya.’
Dar es Salaam. The National Commercial Bank (NBC) and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) have inked a deal that is designed to enable farmers who are members of cooperative societies to access health insurance.
Through the deal, farmers are to receive health-care attention through a farmers’ health insurance scheme known as ‘Ushirika Afya.’
The arrangement will see NBC submitting health insurance contributions directly to the NHIF on behalf of farmers who operate accounts at the bank and who access Agricultural loans through the bank.
NBC Bank managing director Theobald Sabi and NHIF director general Bernard Konga, signed the documents on behalf of their two organizations in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
“As a bank, in order to continue to do better we need to have a strong economy that is also based on a healthy workforce. The issue of quality health care for our clients, including farmers, is one of our priorities and that is the reason we did not hesitate to join ‘Ushirika Afya’ initiative, Mr Sabi said yesterday.
Through the scheme, a farmer will contribute a total of Sh76,800 per year while a child will require Sh50,400 per year to access the service from NHIF.
According to Mr Konga, the programme assures farmers of access to quality health services.
“I am confident that through the partnership between NBC and farmers across the country, this initiative will be a great success as the main goal is to reach farmers wherever they are so that we can increase the scope of beneficiaries of this fund,” said Mr Konga.
The Registrar of Cooperatives, Tanzania Dr Benson Ndiege, said in order for the program to be successful, there was a need to ensure that cooperatives became more self-reliant and thus remain to be part of the formal system.
