Emulate community health fund, government told

Dar es Salaam. Stakeholders in the health sector have advised the government on the effective use and implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to enable people access quality health care.  
The project manager of HPSS Ally Kebby said the UHC was timely and mandatory adding that the investment made by the government in the health sector must go in line with the ability to afford the services.
“The only way to ensure quality health services is through insurance, we have learnt in the 15 years of implementing the Community Health Fund (CHF) project which has taught us a lot,” he said.
The HPSS ‘Tuimarishe Afya’ project is a Swiss-Tanzania Cooperation Project, funded by the Swiss Government and implemented by Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.
“There are many issues to be addressed before the UHC is implemented like how to integrate transportation issues to critical and emergency diseases,” he said.
Dodoma region CHF coordinator, Dr Francis Lutalala, said at the Tanzania Health Summit (THS) that government should emulate the successes of the Community Health Fund (CHF) under the Health Promotion and System Strengthening (HPSS) Tuimarishe Afya Project, to facilitate proper implementation of the envisaged Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Dr Lutala stressed that CHF has helped those in the informal sector to access health services at an affordable price.
Explaining some of the advantages of the CHF, he said registration was done digitally in a sense that a holder was easily recognised, especially when bills are brought forward.
“The holders of the card were paying less than Sh30,000 but also they were able to access services even when they moved out of their residential places,” he said.
He added that the UHC should grab some of the successes used by CHF including the ability to let the schemes be self-reliable financially.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Dr Grace Magembe said that even though the country will introduce the Universal Health Insurance (UHC), the Improved CHF will not be abandoned, but rather strengthened.
"People should not be worried that the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will hinder them to access health services though CHF in fact we are going to improve it to enable the people to continue quality health services,” she said.