Prime Minister launches digital X-rays distribution programme
PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has launched a programme of distributing digital X-rays in all referral hospitals to improve health services provision.
To begin with, the Prime Minister said the programme will start with distribution of digital Xrays to referral hospitals in eleven regions before doing the same to twenty hospitals.
The Prime Minister launched the programme in Songea, Ruvuma where he is on a working tour. He also toured Ruvuma Regional Hospital. Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Faustine Ndungulile (pictured) said the fifth phase government under President John Magufuli was determined to improve provision of health services to the public.
He said that at this initial stage, the government procured eleven digital X-rays at a cost of 2.03bn/- that will be distributed to eleven regions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister has directed regional and district commissioners in the country to closely supervise the government policy that calls for provision of free medical care to children below the age of five.
The Prime Minister issued the directive yesterday when he toured the regional hospital in Songea during which he received information that some parents with children under five years were asked to buy medicines.
At the hospital, the Prime Minister encountered an incident where a mother identified as Ms Kanisia Fusi was ordered to buy medicines for her ailing 18 month-old child, while the child was supposed to receive free medical service.
Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Ndungulile also served as a witness to the incident, after he was shown a prescription where the mother was supposed to go and buy medicine from the pharmacies that were available at the hospital.
The Ruvuma Regional Hospital’s Principal Medical Officer Dr Majura Magafu also told the Prime Minister and the health minister that the medicine prescribed was indeed available at the hospital.
In another development, the Prime Minister smelt a rat in the construction of a building meant to provide medical care to mothers and children at Ruvuma Regional Hospital.
The Prime Minister expressed his dissatisfaction with the project whose implementation cost 129 million/-.
The anomaly prompted the Prime Minister to direct the Deputy Minister to make a thorough follow-up to and find a person who approved the tender for the rehabilitation of the building, before giving feedback as quickly as possible.
“I am not satisfied with the cost incurred in the rehabilitation of this building given the huge amount of taxpayers’ money spent. We are currently building health centres each with a laboratory, maternity ward and paediatrics unit at a cost of between 400 and 500 million, how come the rehabilitation of this building cost 129 million/-?,” he queried.
While in Mbinga District the PM intervened in the decision taken by authorities from regions that produce utility poles in the country, to ban the sale of the material to customers, by summoning regional commissioners of those areas to give explanations behind the move.
The Premier issued the directives at a public meeting which was held at Nyoni Village in Mbinga District on Friday being part of his three-day tour of Ruvuma Region.
“I would like them to give me details on why they have initiated the ban…while people are waiting to be connected to electricity; they have banned poles from going out of their areas because they are demanding allowances.
“They are demanding this from the government forgetting that they are also part of the government…we shall meet on January 7 at 11am,” said Mr Majaliwa. Such orders arrived following concerns from people who applied for electricity but failed to have access to the service because of the ban as the parties responsible are demanding allowances from the government.
According to the PM, the Monday meeting will include the Minister for Energy, Dr Medard Kalemani, the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Mr Selemani Jafo and Chairpersons of the respective councils so that they can give reasons why they issued the ban. Mr Majaliwa further disclosed that the government intends to ensure that power is supplied in all villages across the country to allow people to connect at a cost of 27,000/- only.
Similarly, the PM observed that all costs for application forms and obtaining poles have already been accounted for by the government.
As for the villages located far away from the national grid, they will be connected to solar, an initiative aimed at boosting the economy of the country.
According to him, the decision by the government is reached considering the importance of electricity for home consumption therefore by extending the service closer and in marginalized areas it will allow for schools, dispensaries, industries among others to access electricity.