THINKING ALOUD: Synopsis of what I wrote in 2017, but does it matter?

I started the year by writing about the causes of motor traffic accidents and possible solutions.

My assessment was simple, MTAs are caused by rampant corruption in the traffic force and there was a need to change leadership. Indeed during the year the boss of traffic force was changed and overall corruption has decreased and so have the MTAs.

Recent statistics show some improvement but there is more to be done. I urge the new traffic boss to concentrate cleaning his force from corruption and not get involved in gimmicks like the safety week. I also wrote about tourism and had suggested that if revenues do not increase the minister should be dropped. This is exactly what happened, we now have an energetic new minister and I re-emphasize that his appraisal should be based on how much the country gains from tourism.

Next, I wrote about the age of retirement especially of academics. It appears that soon a Bill will be tabled to increase the retirement age from 60 to 65 years. This is a good move but there should be an allowance that at 60 the person can get his lump some dues so that he can make good use of it while still relatively younger.

The Ministry of Education is doing a good job but now its time to change gears and start concentrating on quality and not on numbers of enrolment.

Another issue that I have emphasized is the quality of graduates from institutions of higher learning. There is a need to closely monitor colleges and universities. I think Tanzania Commission of Universities (TCU) needs to be reinvigorated and strengthened so that it can closely monitor institutions of higher learning especially now that it no longer handle undergraduate admissions.

I also wrote about professional training and the need of board examinations. I mentioned medical graduates from Muhas where I was teaching. The graduates who are qualifying after the curriculum was revised to competency based modularised are appalling. And now with several medical schools using different curriculum and since there is minimum monitoring by TCU there is definitely the need for board examinations. Many countries globally have board examinations and not having one in Tanzania will compromise the quality of health care in the future.

Time and again I wrote about the lack of stringent monitoring and regulating the medical practice by Ministry of Health. Neither the public nor the private practice is regulated and there is chaos.

There is no standardisation of medical practices; more commercialisation is being encouraged so there is a roller coaster attitude.

I specifically wrote about international accreditation and the need to replace this with local initiatives so that costs of medical care is not hiked. This so-called international accreditation is nothing but market gimmicks to attract more patients and business. The ministry is neither listening nor changing and perhaps some palms are being greased to maintain status quo. If left unchecked the cost of health care in private practice will escalate so much that it will create differential groups within the society and that is the price Tanzanians will pay for inaction.

Malnutrition is still a major public health problem and its solution has to be local involving the community. I think it is the onus of district and regional leadership to address this problem but are the DC or RC aware that it is their responsibility.

Corruption, red tape or bureaucracy and undisciplined workers are all intertwined. At least mega corruption is becoming a rare commodity but corruption is still relatively prevalent. The most important thing is public education and strengthening institutions that will sustain the fight against corruption. There should be zero tolerance for corruption.

Next I pointed out how inefficient are our foreign missions and the need to revisit their appraisal processes. Finally I mentioned about ongoing toxic politics and the need to focus on development.

What I did not write is about energy. Lack of energy access presents a formidable, but not insurmountable, challenge to Tanzanian development. Energy poverty afflicts nearly 35 million people in Tanzania, limiting economic opportunities and creating health risks through the use of low-cost, alternative energy sources, such as wood fuel. Without access to secure, reliable sources of electricity, households, businesses, schools, and hospitals cannot operate effectively, reducing quality of life and restricting human capital.

As acknowledged in the global sustainable development agenda, addressing these energy needs is fundamental to achieving economic and human development objectives.