Findings on Community Health Fund released
Dar es Salaam. The Swiss government funded Health Promotion and System Strengthening (HPSS) project in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the President’s Office, Regional Administration, and Local government (PORALG) has released findings of a study that is expected to inform the development of the national Universal Health Insurance (UHI).
Speaking at the study findings dissemination workshop in Dar es Salaam, National Project Officer at the Swiss Embassy in Tanzania, Ms Jacqueline Matoro, hailed the government of Tanzania for the cooperation and support it continues to provide towards the implementation of the HPSS project.
“We hope these findings will form the basis for a further technical conversation to inform policy direction," she said.
The workshop also sought to engage researchers, policymakers, insurers, and the insurance regulator on the study findings and recommendations on the contributions of CHF improved insurance scheme as well as the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the UHI.
Among other things the findings recommend the revision of a reimbursement formula and that it should be made transparent to the service providers.
Another recommendation is to put a mechanism that ensures the timely disbursement of funds as prescribed in the contract.
The study findings further call for development of a transparent payment system for private health service providers.
“There is a need for healthcare managers to learn from the iCHF scheme business model to ensure an accelerated operation of UHI", reads the report.
The national CHF coordinator at PORALG Silvery Maganza said so far the iCHF scheme has membership of 4.4 million.
He said among other key issues that the UHI must embrace which were successful during the implementation of the iCHF is the digital registration technology solution which makes it possible to issue the membership identity card immediately even in rural areas.
The other success for iCHF is its competitive benefits package as well as its portability- which allows a member to access medical services from the level of dispensary all the way to the regional referral hospital level acrossthecountry.
HPSS Project Manager, Ally Kebby said the study results have been released at the most opportune time when the government is developing the UHI bill.
However, Kebby said it was imperative that the investment made by the government in the health sector go in line with the ability of the citizenry to pay for the health services.
He said the study findings will help the government to make informed decisions on the UHI legislation drawn from the practical lessons learnt during the implementation on the iCHF.
