Tanzania: Corrupt Cartels On the Chopping Block
MINISTER for Health, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, has directed the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to investigate and take actions against officials who are alleged to have inflated construction costs of Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Hospital.
Ms Mwalimu issued the directives in Musoma Urban, Mara Region on Sunday during a visit by President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the hospital, whose construction has stalled for over 40 years.
“All people who conspired to inflate the costs should be taken to task. These include officials within the Ministry of Health and NHC (National Housing Corporation),” she remarked.
The minister cited some areas in which the costs were bloated as connection of electricity, where the officials put the price at 10bn/- and yet the actual amount was supposed to be 5bn/-.
She also requested the Minister of Water, Mr Jumaa Aweso, to send a team of experts from his ministry to determine the cost of connecting and supplying water at the hospital to avoid cheating.
Ms Mwalimu was confident that construction of the hospital will be completed this year. The plan is to have the facility to be a referral hospital providing specialised medical services in Mara region and surrounding areas.
“The plan is also to have the hospital provide specialised services for accidents and orthopaedic treatment in the Lake Zone,” she stated.
According to the minister, the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Hospital will be a centre for providing such services, while Bugando Hospital in Mwanza and Chato Hospital in Geita will cater for cancer and cardiovascular treatment, respectively.
Apart from the hospital, plans are also afoot to establish a medical training facility to facilitate teaching of medical practitioners, she said.
“Before establishing the training facility, the ministry of health will engage the ministry of education to determine the level of the college to be constructed,” she remarked.
In another development, Ms Mwalimu revealed that 206 out of 6,838 people who were tested for Covid-19 between July 29, 2021 and February 04, 2022 were found to be positive. The number of patients represents 3 per cent of all people who were tested.
Out of the 206 people, 71 of them have been hospitalised, she stated, noting further that the majority of them (69) had not been vaccinated against the virus.
“I call upon all Tanzanians to respond positively and undergo vaccination against Covid-19. There have been three deaths in Morogoro, Manyara and Dodoma regions and all were not vaccinated,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the minister noted that over 400bn/- out of the 1.3tri/- loan issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address the impact caused by Covid-19 has been earmarked for the health sector.
“Unlike other countries where there have been reports of the funds being misused, the government of Tanzania has put the loan into proper and intended use,” she stated.
Ms Mwalimu added further that a total of 485 health centres have been constructed over the past five years in addition to six referral hospitals spread across the country.
By Daily News.
