Association of physicians say they expect better NHIF services

Dar es Salaam. The Association of Physicians of Tanzania (APHYTA) has said the upcoming NHIF’s medical insurance packages should ensure seamless access to healthcare services without compromising quality or causing inconvenience to beneficiaries.

APHYTA president, Dr Mwanaada Kilima, told a gathering of physicians on Thursday, May 2, that despite the significant contribution made by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), medical practitioners have been encountering many challenges while attending to beneficiaries of the NHIF insurance scheme.

These challenges arise primarily due to the inadequate coverage of essential services by the NHIF insurance policy.

"We have submitted our proposals collectively through the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT), and we sincerely request our colleagues at NHIF to understand our concerns as well," she said in her address to the APHYTA annual general meeting.

She reiterated that since physicians were also beneficiaries of NHIF insurance services, they wouldn't want the services they receive themselves to be of lower quality due to existing limitations.

Dr Kilima also commended the progress made by the government in enacting the Universal Health Insurance Act, 2023, which is awaiting implementation.

The minister for Health, Ummy Mwalimu, who graced the opening of the APHYTA AGM, said about eight percent of Tanzanians are beneficiaries of NHIF, and 0.5 percent use private health insurance, making only 8.5 percent of the total population covered by health insurance.

"Out of every 100 Tanzanians, about 92 pay cash for medical treatment. This is what necessitated the passing of the Universal Health Insurance Act," she noted.

Ms Mwalimu also emphasised that the entry point for professional opinions should be in the national standard treatment guidelines, which will lead to improvements in the quality of services provided by NHIF.

"All discussions and debates must be based on the national Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) and the national list of essential medicines in Tanzania. All feedback and criticism should be directed there," she said.

The minister also remarked that the government, through the ministry, acknowledges and addresses the challenge of the "Scheme of Service," in which some of the specialised doctors have not been recognised.

“I personally see this as a challenge that leads many doctors to hesitate to further their studies in specialised fields due to a lack of recognition in the civil service structure, which contradicts the government's goals of improving specialised services,” she said.

On that note, minister Mwalimu also stated that the government continues to prioritise specialist doctors, particularly in their professional development, through a special programme known as the Dr Samia Super-Specialised Scholarship Programme, which provides funding opportunities for specialised studies.

“For the academic year 2023/2024, a total of Sh10.9 billion has been allocated, enabling 1,109 candidates to pursue specialised and super-specialised studies. This represents an increase of 582 candidates, or 110 percent, compared to the academic year 2022/2023,” said Mwalimu.

The APHYTA AGM is held under the theme ‘improving the quality of healthcare in Tanzania: Opportunities and Challenges for Physicians’.

The Chief Medical Officer, Prof Tumaini Nagu, stated that this conference, apart from being an opportunity to address critical issues in the Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs), is a platform to delve into various aspects of internal medicine alongside factors impacting healthcare delivery across facilities.