THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE

Occupational Health System in Tanzania

Prepared By

Joseph Birago M.Sc. in TDC and M.Sc. HIS Occupational Health Unit

Surname Birago

First name Joseph

Nationality Tanzanian

Date of birth June 27, 1976

Sex Male

Marital status Married - Mercy

Religion Christian

Number of children

2 =Male-Lukeregwa-5years and = Female -Sekanabho 1.5years

Tribe Muha – from Kigoma – Kibondo district

Language English & Swahili

EMPLOYMENT STUTUS and CONTACT ADDRESS Name of Employer Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Position Environmental Health Officer Department Preventive Services Unit Occupational Health Contact Address P. O. Box 9083 Location Dar es salaam, Tanzania E-mail birago76@yahoo.co.uk Mobile Phone +255 653 112 844

S/N Name of institution Duration of study Academic award

3.1 University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) 2009 -2011 M.Sc. Health Informatics

3.2 Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

(MUHAS)

2008-2010 M.Sc. Tropical Disease

Control

3.3 University of Dar es salaam 2001 – 2004 B.Sc. Environmental

Health

3.4 Pugu secondary school 1997 – 1999 Certificate of Advanced

secondary education

3.5 Chunya Secondary School 1993 – 1996 Certificate of Ordinary

level secondary education

Health Financing in Tanzania

Financing for universal coverage and ensuring equity, the role of social security and insurance

•Formal Sectors – National Health Insurance for GVT employees. Very few are served with this scheme as compared to about 45M Tanzanian population

•Private Formal Sectors(mining, industries, business) are all covered with companies health schemes

•Informal Sector (subsistence farmers, Mining– uses community health funds, little knowledge for the beneficiaries to this type of health financing

= UMASIDA in informal sector

• The role of Social Security funds and

insurance

• - not covered well in the informal sector,

information are available to individuals but

protocol to enrolment difficult.

• To SUMMARIZE majority of Tanzanian relay on out of pocket payment for the Health Services. Insurance scheme just covers a portion of workers in the informal sector

• insurance schemes cover for only permanent staff in the GVT and private formal sectors

• To ensure universal coverage and ensuring equity we needle to strengthen Communities Health Funds and government investment in the PHC

A Case of UMAIDA

• Urban based Community Health Fund

• To date CHFs have been established exclusively in rural district. There are, however, populations in the urban areas which need these schemes to improve accessibility to health care. These populations include most unemployed persons, retired individuals and those in the informal sector economy

• mutual health scheme established by this sector has organized them for health care

• It based its work in informal sector groups. These include small scale market retailers, carpenters, mechanics, tinsmiths etc.

The Package it offers • It offers a comprehensive health care package. This package consists of • Maternal Child Health Care Services • Treatment for regular diseases like Malaria, diarrhoea etc • Provides VCT and STI management • Surgical needs, ENT, and Ophthalmic provided at government units. The Premiums • The scheme has a premium paid by each family. A family here is a woman,

her four children under eighteen, her husband and grandparents if they’re around.

• The premium is Tshs. 1,500/= per month. It is 18,000/= Tshs per year.

• UMASIDA has its own dispensaries in Dar

es Salaam, Arusha and Moshi

Health Services

• In Tanzania we have health inequalities

among groups of people.

• People in the informal sector have no

security when it comes to health services

• Health Insurance covers only formal sector

• Coverage with essential interventions

• Interventions at present

- Inspection of workplaces and law enforcements

- HIV and AIDS in formal workplaces

- TB-workplace guideline

• Future plan

• - training informal sector

• Developing manual for informal sector

Occupational Health in Tanzania

• Very diverse occupational activities exist

• Occupational health services focuses

more in formal sectors than in informal

sector

• Little investments in occupational health

services because of inadequate

knowledge among policy makers, decision

makers and politician

Barriers/obstacles how to overcome them

Most of the uncovered working

populations are unorganized,

unregulated with diverse

economic activities

Sensitize and assist them in

collective obligation towards

their future Health

Frequent change of economic

activity among the uncovered

population

Assist development of

organized and coordinated

economic activities

Uncontrolled change of location Institutionalize of Laws allow

closure time esp in mining

Inadequate participation in

health financing schemes (CHF)

Develop other types of

contributions eg in-kind

payment, taxation

Inadequate services among

Public facilities

Government commitment

THE WAYFOWARD

• MoHSW is in the plan to prepare the policy guideline covering the informal sector

• MoHSW is in the plan to develop and implement the Ministerial Occupational Health Strategy

• MoHSW is in the process of calling stakeholders of Occupational Health to have a National Steering Committee on Occupational Health and Safety

Comments and Suggestion are welcomed

-eNd-

Its central cone, Kibo, rises to 19,340 feet (5,895 metres) and is the highest point in Africa.

Ngorongoro crater