Tanzania’s Deputy Health minister urges system integration to address NHIF losses and medical cost inefficiencies

Kibaha. The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Godwin Mollel, has raised concerns over the significant financial losses incurred by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) due to unintegrated healthcare systems.

Speaking at the launch of the Afya-Tek system, part of the Unified Community Health Digital System (UCS) in Kibaha on December 10, 2024, Dr Mollel highlighted the inefficiencies caused by the lack of integration between healthcare facilities.

“NHIF is losing substantial amounts of money because of system integration failures,” Dr Mollel noted. He pointed to the issue of redundancy in medical services, providing an example of patients paying for the same test at different hospitals.

 “For instance, a patient undergoing a CT scan at a regional hospital pays Sh400,000. If referred to Muhimbili, they pay again for the same test. If the systems were integrated, the initial results could be accessed, preventing such unnecessary expenses,” he explained, stressing that this inefficiency is common across regional and district health facilities.

Dr Mollel emphasised that integrating health systems would reduce medical costs and improve the efficiency of healthcare delivery. He announced that, in line with a directive from President Samia Suluhu Hassan, all systems under the Ministry of Health must be fully integrated by January 15, 2025.

The Director of ICT at the Ministry of Health,  Dr Silvanus Ilomo, confirmed that 80 percent of the integration process has been completed, with the remaining work expected to be finalised before the deadline.

In addition to the integration concerns, Dr Mollel criticised bureaucratic inefficiencies in the procurement of medicines, urging reforms to address inflated costs. He called on the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) to work with the Pharmacy Council to find solutions. He further suggested that Parliament should discuss streamlining medicine procurement processes in January.

Dr Mollel also highlighted the high medical costs at Muhimbili National Hospital, where patients sometimes incur bills of up to Sh10 million for just one or two weeks of treatment. He revealed that investigations into these high costs pointed to monopolistic practices in the cancer drug supply chain, where a single supplier dictates inflated prices. “A drug that should cost Sh800,000 is sold for Sh4 million,” he explained, adding that the monopolistic practices are unsustainable and need urgent attention.

Afya-Tek system expansion

The Afya-Tek system, which connects community health workers, pharmacies, and health centres, aims to improve healthcare services for pregnant women, postpartum mothers, children, and adolescents. The system, implemented in Kibaha District and Kibaha Town since 2019, has shown positive results and is now set to expand nationwide, supporting the integration of healthcare services across Tanzania. Dr. Angel Dillip, Program Director of the Apotheker Health Access Initiative, highlighted the system’s ability to simplify processes and enhance the delivery of health services.

With the integration of healthcare systems and reforms in medicine procurement, the Ministry of Health aims to improve the efficiency and accessibility of healthcare services for Tanzanians