Drug revolving funds drive

The Head of State was speaking during a function to lay a foundation stone for Kilolo District Hospital in Iringa Region. He said the establishment of the Drug Revolving Funds would facilitate easy availability of drugs and medical equipment.

He said the councils would be able to purchase the requisite equipment and drugs directly by using funds from the accounts. The Head of State explained that the government had already allocated 50bn/- for improving health services in dispensaries, health centresand hospitals during the 2018/19 financial year.

He added that the government would continue to implement the ruling party’s (CCM) 2015 election manifesto, which, among other things, promised to provide free education. He said so far, the government disbursed 23.8bn/- every month to fund the free education scheme.

He said the government was also continuing with its plans to spread electricity to all villages across the country and that the project would be completed by 2021. The Head of State added that the government had allocated 269bn/- in the 2018/19 for purchasing drugs.

He said the government was also working hard to ensure water availability and supply in various areas across the country. T h e Head of State also promised to construct the 28 kilometres Iringa- Kilolo Road at tarmac level.

P r e s i - dent Magufuli reminded farmers to say ‘No’ to fees, which the government had scrapped. “We have removed nuisance taxes for farm produce; farmers are free to transport crops below one tonne,” he said.

The Minister of State in the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, Mr Selemani Said Jafo, said the government under President Magufuli had charted strategies for strengthening the health sector.

He said the country had only 77 public hospitals since independence, but over the past two years, the fifth phase government had allocated 105bn/- for the construction of 67 new public hospitals.

“This is historical in our country; allocating 105bn/- for the construction of 67 new hospitals in a short period of time is a big thing,” he said. He said the government continued to improve the health sector by setting up a strategic plan, which involves the construction of 208 health centres, which will be offering surgery services.

Mr Jafo added that earlier, only 115 health centres out of 515 were capable of offering surgery services since independence. The minister added that the government was carrying out similar district hospital construction projects in Siha, Buchosa and Mvomero districts.

On the ongoing construction of Kilolo hospital, the government had already released 4.2bn/- for the construction of Out Patient Department (OPD), radiology, Reproductive and Child Health (RCH), laboratory and patients’ wards. He said the hospital would start to provide services from August, 2018.

Source: Daily News

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