Tanzania’s Minister of Health Hon. Ummy Mwalimu recently disclosed to the media that the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Bill will be read again in Parliament on 31st January 2023, and is expected to come into effect in July of the same year.
The much-awaited universal health coverage means that every Tanzanian citizen, or resident in Tanzania, should have health insurance, whether working or not, which will take care of their health in the country.
Dr. Baghayo Saqware Commissioner of the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA), explained that “Once the bill is passed and enacted by Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, it will be enforced after six months of transition to prepare for the implementation.”
The bill was first tabled in parliament in September 2022, after being postponed for several years, and was to be read for a second time on 11th November to be deliberated and passed. However, the parliament decided to return it to the Social Services and Community Development Committee for further consultations.
In addition, Hon. Mwalimu also disclosed that government, through the Ministry Of Health, expects to come up with a guideline for medical expenses in public health service centers in the country, which is expected to come into effect in February 2023.
She made the announcement when she made a surprise visit to the Temeke regional referral hospital to see the state of health care provision as well as listen to the concerns, advice and opinions of the people on the availability of health care services in the country.
Minister Mwalimu said that previously there was no specific guideline for the costs of seeing a doctor, thus causing many centres that provide health services to have different costs that are not compatible, thus causing more inconvenience to the people.
She said that maternity, mother, and child services will continue to be provided free of charge and asked the service providers to comply with the government’s instructions and not to charge the public for these services.
Share this news
This Year’s Most Read News Stories
Tanzania readying to talk to British developer over Zanzibar land lease revocation
Dar es Salaam. British firm Pennyroyal Limited has said it will sue the Tanzanian government over leasehold revocation in Zanzibar, but the Attorney General has confirmed that they are preparing to meet with the investor.Continue Reading
Mbeto on Mwinyi: He created today’s affluent people
The CCM Secretary of Ideology and Publicity (Zanzibar), Mr Khamis Mbeto Khamis, said the late President Ali Hassan Mwinyi was the architect of the current class of affluent people.Continue Reading
Insecurity prompts Zanzibar to review its lucrative island leasing
The Tanzanian central government is planning to boost its security presence in the Zanzibar archipelago. A commission tasked with auditing the country’s security forces was appointed in July by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. It says it is concerned about the situation in the country’s Indian Ocean islands that are under the control of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar local government.Continue Reading
