Unguja. Rais Samia Suluhu Hassan amesema licha ya jitihada zinazochukuliwa na Serikali kuboresha huduma za afya kwa wananchi bado kuna changamoto ya utoaji huduma, hivyo ushirikiano wa sekta binafsi utasaidia kuziimarisha.
Ametaja changamoto hizo kuwa ni uhaba wa wafanyakazi wenye ujuzi, upungufu wa vifaatiba na uchakavu kwa baadhi ya miundombinu.
Rais Samia ametoa kauli hiyo leo Jumanne Oktoba mosi, 2024 kupitia hotuba iliyosomwa kwa niaba yake na Makamu wa Pili wa Rais wa Zanzibar, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla wakati wa ufunguzi wa Kongamano la 11 la Afya Tanzania (THS) lililofanyika Fumba, wilayani Magharibi B, Unguja.
Kongamano hilo limewakutanisha wataalamu zaidi ya 1,500.
“Ni vyema mkafahamu pamoja na hatua zinazofikiwa bado kuna changamoto katika utoaji wa huduma, hivyo Serikali itaendelea kushirikisha sekta binafsi katika kutoa huduma kwa wananchi ambao ushirikiano huo unakusudia kuimarisha huduma bora za afya nchini,” amesema Rais Samia.
Amesema Serikali itaendelea kuboresha elimu kwa wataalamu wa afya kwa kutoa kipaumbele na kuongeza ufadhili kwa mafunzo ya ubingwa na ubingwa bobezi katika taaluma za kimkakati.
Kuna umuhimu wa kushirikiana na sekta binafsi katika kutoa huduma bora kwa wananchi.
Rais Samia amesema Serikali zote mbili zinaendelea kuimarisha matumizi ya mifumo ya utoaji wa taarifa ili iweze kusomana kutoka kituo kimoja cha afya kwenda kingine katika ngazi zote za utoaji wa huduma kwa lengo la kurahisisha upatikanaji wa taarifa za wagonjwa, zikiwamo vipimo na matibabu.
Pia, kutoa fursa ya kupata matibabu zaidi katika maeneo yote ya nchi.
“Serikali zote (SMT na SMZ) zinaendelea kuchukua hatua za kuimarisha huduma za kinga, kuwekeza katika miundombinu ya afya kwa kujenga na kukarabati hospitali zote na vituo vya afya ili ziweze kutoa huduma bora na za kisasa kwa wananchi wa pande zote mbili za Muungano,” amesema Rais Samia.
Ametoa wito kwa taasisi za Serikali na binafsi kushirikiana na THS kuongeza nguvu ya majadiliano katika sekta ya afya na kuboresha utoaji huduma za afya mijini na vijijini.
Awali, akitoa taarifa ya kitaalamu kwa niaba ya bodi ya THS, Dk Grace Magembe amesema imekuwa ni chachu ya kuleta mabadiliko endelevu katika sekta ya afya hasa katika kuhamasisha utoaji huduma kwa mifumo ya kidijitali ili kuendana na wakati.
Dk Grace amesema THS imewawezesha vijana kupitia programu ya kuwajengea uwezo kwa kuwapatia mafunzo, kuwaendeleza kitaaluma na kuwaunganisha watumishi wa afya na fursa zilizopo nje ya nchi.
“THS ina jukumu kubwa la kuendelea kushirikiana na Wizara ya Afya katika kuboresha na kuimarisha sekta hasa katika eneo la kutoa elimu ya afya kwa jamii,” amesema Dk Grace.
Waziri wa Afya, Jenista Mhagama amezikaribisha sekta binafsi kushirikiana na Serikali katika kujenga huduma za kibingwa ili kuifanya Tanzania kuwa kituo cha utalii wa tiba.
Amesema bado Serikali inahitaji ushirikiano na sekta binafsi katika maeneo mbalimbali.
Kuhusu bima ya afya kwa wote, Jenista amesema Serikali inapokwenda katika utekelezaji, sekta binafsi inapaswa kushirikiana nayo kwa kuhakikisha huduma bora na rahisi zinapatikana.
“Pamoja na uwekezaji mkubwa uliofanywa na Serikali lazima kuhakikisha sekta binafsi inaimarishwa ili kulinda usalama wa wananchi,” amesema.
Waziri wa Afya Zanzibar, Ahmed Mazrui amesema ubia wa sekta binafsi umekuwa na mafanikio makubwa katika uboreshaji wa miundombinu ya vifaatiba vya kisasa.
Amesema hospitali binafsi zimewekeza na kuhakikisha zinatoa huduma bora kwa wananchi.
Waziri Mazrui amesema changamoto zilizopo zinaendelea kushughulikiwa hatua kwa hatua hivyo zinazidi kupungua.
Amesema wameimarisha vituo vya afya ya msingi 52 na kujenga vipya 96 ili kufikia mwakani huduma za afya ziwe bora zaidi kwa wananchi.
Source: mwananchi.co.tz
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Tanzania Confirms Second Marburg Outbreak After WHO Chief Visit
Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus, confirming a single case in the northwestern region of Kagera after a meeting with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The confirmation follows days of speculation about a possible outbreak in the region, after the WHO reported a number of deaths suspected to be linked to the highly infectious disease.
While Tanzania’s Ministry of Health declared last week that all suspected cases had tested negative for Marburg, the WHO called for additional testing at international reference laboratories.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”Amelia Clemence, public health researcher
Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at Kagera’s Kabaile Mobile Laboratory and confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one positive case, while 25 other suspected cases tested negative, the president told a press conference in Dodoma, in the east of the country today (Monday).
“The epicentre has now shifted to Biharamulo district of Kagera,” she told the press conference, distinguishing this outbreak from the previous one centred in Bukoba district.
Tedros said the WHO would release US$3 million from its emergencies contingency fund to support efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities stepped up surveillance and deployed emergency response teams after the WHO raised the alarm about nine suspected cases in the region, including eight deaths.
The suspected cases displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg infection, including headache, high fever, diarrhoea, and haemorrhagic complications, according to the WHO’s alert to member countries on 14 January. The organisation noted a case fatality rate of 89 per cent among the suspected cases.
“We appreciate the swift attention accorded by the WHO,” Hassan said.
She said her administration immediately investigated the WHO’s alert.
“The government took several measures, including the investigation of suspected individuals and the deployment of emergency response teams,” she added.
Cross-border transmission
The emergence of this case in a region that experienced Tanzania’s first-ever Marburg outbreak in March 2023 has raised concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly following Rwanda’s recent outbreak that infected 66 people and killed 15 before being declared over in December 2024.
The situation is particularly critical given Kagera’s position as a transport hub connecting four East African nations.
Amelia Clemence, a public health researcher working in the region, says constant vigilance is required.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”
The Kagera region’s ecosystem, home to fruit bats that serve as natural reservoirs for the Marburg virus, adds another layer of complexity to disease surveillance efforts.
The virus, closely related to Ebola, spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
Transparency urged
Elizabeth Sanga, shadow minister of health for Tanzania’s ACT Wazalendo opposition party, says greater transparency would help guide public health measures.
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“This could have helped to guide those who are traveling to the affected region to be more vigilant and prevent the risk of further spread,” she said.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says early notification of investigation outcomes is important.
“We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response,” she said, noting that existing national capacities built from previous health emergencies could be quickly mobilised.
The situation coincides with leadership changes in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, with both the chief medical officer and permanent secretary being replaced.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Source: allafrica.com
‘No Marburg Confirmed In Tanzania’, But Mpox Remains ‘Public Health Emergency’
Monrovia — The Director General of the African Centers for Disease Control, Jean Kaseya, has said the center stands ready to support Tanzania and other countries in the region where suspected cases of the infectious Marburg Virus Disease have been identified. The World Health Organization earlier this week issued an alert warning of a possible outbreak in the country, although the Tanzanian Health Ministry has said tests conducted on available samples did not show the existence of Marburg in the East African nation.
“As of the 15 of January 2025, laboratory results from all suspected individuals were negative for Marburg Virus,” Tanzanian Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said in a statement. This would have marked the country’s second experience with the highly infectious disease that recently killed over a dozen people in neighboring Rwanda. Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in 2023 in the Kegara region, said to have been the epicenter of the new suspected cases.
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With thousands of confirmed cases of Mpox across Africa and more than 1000 people having died of the disease – mainly in Central Africa – Kaseya emphasized the need to increase testing, a theme he’s heralded before. The Africa CDC boss said over the next few months the continental health watchdog will deploy additional epidemiologists and community health workers to areas considered hot spots of infectious diseases in the region.
Source: allafrica.com
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