Dar es Salaam. The Minister for Health, Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa, has directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and his counterpart at the Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) to review salaries and benefits for health workers, saying wide pay gaps among staff with similar qualifications are unacceptable.
Mr Mchengerwa said it was unjustifiable for a medical specialist under PMO-RALG to earn significantly less than a mid-level doctor employed by the Ministry of Health.
He said the review should focus on boosting motivation and efficiency, improving the delivery of health services to the public, and making the public health sector the preferred destination for professionals, rather than pushing them towards the private sector.
The minister issued the directive to the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr Seif Shekalaghe, and his PMO-RALG counterpart, Mr Adolf Ndunguru, on Monday, January 5, 2026.
He was speaking to journalists during the launch of a board of trustees at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) in Dar es Salaam.
“It is impossible and unacceptable for a doctor who has studied for 10 to 15 years to be paid the same as a doctor at mid-level. This is not a matter of favouritism,” he said.
He added that paying doctors under the Ministry of Health and PMO-RALG at different rates was unfair and insisted the situation must be corrected.
“I direct the permanent secretaries in the Ministry of Health and PMO-RALG to act immediately and conduct a thorough review of doctors’ pay based on education level, specialisation, and subspecialisation,” he said.
Mr Mchengerwa said proposals from the two offices should be submitted to him, after which he would forward them to President Samia Suluhu Hassan for consideration.
He said health workers are a key pillar of the country’s healthcare system and should be valued with improved pay that reflects their working conditions and workload.
The minister added that the government continued to listen to challenges facing health workers and was ready to take appropriate action to create a better working environment and improve services for citizens.
He said the move was part of implementing the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) policies and election manifesto, as well as President Hassan’s commitment to strengthening health services as a foundation for social and economic development.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary’s representative, Dr Omary Ugubuyu, said the government, alongside other stakeholders, has stepped up community campaigns to encourage citizens to undergo cancer testing and treatment.
“As was the case with HIV/AIDS, people were initially afraid to test, but today the situation has changed. Similarly, we need to eliminate fear and negative perceptions about cancer so people come forward early,” he said.
Dr Ugubuyu said the country records about 45,000 new cancer cases and 30,000 deaths each year.
The board’s chairperson, Prof Ephata Kaaya, said that as part of efforts to strengthen diagnostic services through modern technology, the institute had acquired state-of-the-art machines that had already begun providing services.
“Previously, the institute was serving a small number of patients per day, but it has now increased its capacity to serve five to six patients daily, with expectations of reaching more than 20 per day by June this year,” he said.
He added that the investment had also led to a rise in foreign patients, from six in the 2021/2022 financial year to 76 currently, describing the development as a major achievement.
