31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 1

CHF best practices workshop

Igunga District Council

Reaching the Informal Economy Sector

Dr. G. KisilaAg. DMO

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 2

CHF Igunga - Basic Information

• Total Population of the District: 325,547• 51,176 households and 637 hamlets in 26 wards• CHF established in 1996, since then:

– CHF contributions collected Tshs 270,370,000– User fees: Tshs 103,608,618– Matching Fund received: Tshs 19,655,000– NHIF funds received: Tshs 1,744,077

Total cost-sharing revenue: Tshs 598,510,963

• Total financial Position Nov. 2006: Tshs 125,637,431

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 3

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative Societies

How it started:• District leadership agreed that there was need to establish a task force• Its main function was to mobilize communities towards developmental activities• Task force was formulated under the District Commissioner and the DED in a multi-sectoral approach

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 4

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative SocietiesTask force performance and tools:• The team mobilized 19 co-operative societies to pay CHF premiums for their members• Sensitization involved co-operative society members and leaders, social groups, influential people, religious leaders, village councils and ward development committees• Advantages of CHF transmitted in Sensitization

– burden of user fees reduced– community attracted to join co-operatives - hence more CHF members– If cooperatives invest in health of their members - likely to enhance economic activity of their workers

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 5

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative Societies

Next Steps:• Achieve consensus on collaboration between CHF and cooperatives by:

– holding meetings with the cooperative’s members– principle agenda to discuss and make decisions on the need for paying CHF premiums– agreement reached on the benefit of members receiving health services after cooperatives have paid premiums on their behalf

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 6

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative Societies

Implementation:• Started 2001• 8 cooperative societies got involved since and• 2277 members have joined CHF through the 8 cooperative societies

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 7

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative Societies

Benefits• Strengthening of CHF sustainability• Promotes co-operative society members to enroll • Increases community participation in the financing of health• Empowers CHF to expand health packages e.g. it enables referral of CHF patients to Nkinga Mission Hospital supporting each member with Tshs 30,000 per referral!

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 8

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative Societies

Constraints:• Draughts and food shortages cause low production - cooperatives may fail to meet their goals• Poor services in some health facilities due to shortages of staff and drugs - cause cooperatives to refuse payment for premiums• Delays of receiving levy from companies which by crops is also a problem

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 9

CHF Igunga - Collaboration with Co-operative Societies

Way forward:• Improve health services• Purchase a large quantity of essential drugs at district level by using CHF funds.

•Shorten the long distance from one health facility to another by mobilizing the community to build new health facilities

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 10

CHF Igunga - Conclusion

Marketing CHF through cooperative societies, economic groups - informal and

formal sectors - will ensure community health financing’s sustainability -particularly

of CHF

31st Jan-2nd February 2007 CHF best practice WS, Golden Tulip Hotel, DSM 11

Thanks for listening!