Tanzania: Magufuli Fills Two Vacant Positions

By Deogratius Kamagi

MEMBERS of Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) yesterday donated cash and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) against the Covid-19 pandemic, both worth 2.1bn/-.

The donation was received by the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, who thanked members of the foundation for their support, asking them to sustain the initiative.

She said the government recognised support from the private sector on motivating health workers who are the front liners in the battle against the deadly virus.

The minister instructed that cash donations should be channeled to the special bank account for Covid-19 contributions while the PPEs should be examined and tested by the government agencies to establish if they met the set standards before use.

"All the equipment should be tested and approved by Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA), Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) and the Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA), as per the requirements of the guidelines for medicine and medical supplies donation for Tanzania Mainland-2015," she said.

Moreover, the minister challenged owners of industries in the country to produce enough PPEs, including hand sanitisers, masks and other protective gears in bulk for the government to buy.

"We are about to issue guidelines on the use of fabric masks that are reusable for the public to protect themselves against corona virus, to which local manufacturers should adhere during the production process," she further remarked.