ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR’s Acting Minister for Health and Minister of State in the President’s Office (State House), Dr Saada Mkuya Salum, has directed District Medical Officers (DMOs) to discharge their duties professionally to ensure the health sector reflects the government’s substantial investments.
Speaking during a special meeting with Ministry of Health leaders and district doctors, Dr Saada said complaints from members of the public regarding services at health centres and hospitals have increased, in some cases worsening patients’ conditions.
“The government continues to explore effective ways to address challenges in service delivery, including infrastructure, human resources and funding, to ensure citizens receive quality healthcare efficiently,” she said.
She stressed that the time has come for district medical officers to strengthen supervision of service delivery using available resources and to take disciplinary measures against staff who fail to perform their duties in line with professional standards.
On the Zanzibar Health Insurance Fund, Dr Saada said the Ministry of Health is working closely with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that funds collected through the scheme are channelled back to hospitals and health centres to improve service delivery.
Regarding the closure of health facilities operating without adequate infrastructure, the Acting Minister said such measures are necessary to safeguard service quality.
She explained that poorly equipped facilities would be closed and their resources reallocated to betterequipped centres to maximise efficiency.
Addressing concerns over shortages of health facilities in certain areas, including Stone Town, Dr Saada directed ministry officials to identify appropriate solutions to enable residents in those localities to access reliable healthcare services.
For his part, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Mngereza Mzee Miraji, pledged to enhance supervision of health personnel in accordance with the law to improve performance across the sector.
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He reiterated that the government’s objective is to ensure healthcare services are delivered to citizens promptly and in accordance with required standards, while maintaining proper operational procedures at every level.
DMOs cited a range of challenges affecting service delivery, including staff shortages, lack of transport, inadequate sanitation supplies, unreliable electricity, shortages of medical reagents and limited funding, all of which hamper the operations of hospitals and health centres.
They acknowledged complaints of negligence among some health workers but noted that certain challenges remain beyond their control.
The officers urged the government, through the Ministry of Health, to ensure that health insurance funds are disbursed directly to facilities to ease operational constraints.