NHIF’s new healthcare coverage to support 1.2 million poor Tanzanian households

Dodoma. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has rolled out a new initiative aimed at providing minimum healthcare support to 1.2 million vulnerable Tanzanian households who are unable to afford medical costs.

The initiative, which is in line with Section 25 of the Universal Health Insurance (UHI), CAP 161, will be implemented in collaboration with the Office of the President through the President’s Office [Regional Administration and Local Governments] and the Tanzania Social Action Fund (Tasaf).

Speaking in Parliament in October last year, the minister for Health, Ms Jenista Mhagama said the country has approximately 1.2 million households that are classified as extremely poor that will benefit from the packages that are currently being drafted.

She said in October last year that there are a total of 14.8 million households in mainland Tanzania, of which 3.9 million are economically disadvantaged.

Among these, 1.2 million households, or 32.3 percent have been identified as extremely poor and will be supported under the government’s health insurance programme.

And, speaking here yesterday the NHIF director general, Dr Irene Isaka, said the initiative is designed to help poor households, which will be identified through local government authorities.

“This is a special strategy that we’ve initiated, and we will begin rolling it out soon. We’ll collaborate with the PO-RALG and Tasaf, and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to identify people in vulnerable households, so we can offer them the assistance they need,” Dr Isaka said.

She stressed the importance of this initiative, noting that health is a fundamental right, and many Tanzanians are unable to afford the costs of medical care despite their pressing needs.

Currently, only eight percent of Tanzanians are enrolled in NHIF, which operates in 10,004 healthcare facilities across the country.

Dr Isaka noted that public education efforts are still needed to address misconceptions about the fund, including the belief that members pay into the system without benefiting from it when they fall ill.

In recent years, NHIF has seen significant growth.

Dr Isaka revealed that over the past three years, the fund has registered more than 2.2 million members and collected a total of Sh2.3 trillion.

During this period, NHIF paid out Sh2.29 trillion to healthcare facilities and hospitals for services rendered to its members.

Additionally, Sh91 billion was allocated for services to retired employees who were previously members of the fund.

“Of the funds paid out, 60 percent went towards the treatment of non-communicable diseases. We have also been successful in reducing revenue loss, saving Sh22 billion by suspending 36 employees, with more than 15 fully suspended, while others are undergoing various disciplinary processes,” Dr Isaka explained.

On the fund’s financial stability, Dr Isaka confirmed that NHIF now has the capacity to provide services for 14 months, up from the previous capacity of six months.

This increase is attributed to a reduction in previous losses, with the fund now holding an additional Sh95 billion in capacity.

While the initiative to support vulnerable households has been welcomed, concerns were raised about the challenge of identifying truly poor households.

An expert in social policy, Dr Judith Shirima, warned that the process could face complications, especially in areas where verification of poverty levels is difficult.

“It will be a right for Tanzanians, but it won’t end the complaints. In some regions, verifying poor households can be tough, and people may feel left out or unfairly excluded from the programme,” Dr Shirima said.

The NHIF’s new initiative is set to be a crucial step towards expanding healthcare access for Tanzania’s most vulnerable citizens, but its success will depend on effective implementation and addressing concerns related to the identification of eligible households.