Let’s do more to boost rural health services

Opinion/Editorial

 

By The citizen

In Summary

While economic realities make it easier to put up private health centres in urban areas, the situation is different in the villages, where up to 40 per cent of the people live on less than Sh2,000 per day--an amount that is not even enough for consultation fees for doctors.

The health of our people is non-negotiable for the simple reason that medical care is a human right. That is why the people of this country were receiving free medical care even before independence--wherever and whenever it was available, that is. The population has risen from five million at independence to 45 million, but this surge has not been at par with the capacity of the government to provide free and quality medical care for all.

This situation saw the government issuing licence to private medical facilities in the late 1980s with the expectation that they would complement government efforts in heath provision.

Most health facilities are concentrated in towns, which is a contradiction because the majority of Tanzanians--well over 80 per cent--live in rural areas. There is a great demand for more public health facilities in rural areas.

While economic realities make it easier to put up private health centres in urban areas, the situation is different in the villages, where up to 40 per cent of the people live on less than Sh2,000 per day--an amount that is not even enough for consultation fees for doctors.

The low number of medical facilities in rural areas explains why Tanzania has such a high rate of maternal deaths, which stand at 454 per 100,000 live births. This is among the highest in the world. It is an unacceptable situation.

We must step up our efforts to put up hospitals and health centres in rural areas--and especially mother and child units. And then we must work at ensuring there are enough medical personnel spread out in the country.

When this groundwork has been laid, we will have to work at attracting and retaining medical staff in rural facilities. We need to ensure they feel wanted and appreciated. Only then will they feel comfortable working in villages and remote areas.