NHIF director general Bernard Konga (left) shakes hands with CRDB Bank Plc managing director Abdulmajid Nsekela before exchanging documents they had signed to signal the start of a partnership that would see more farmers accessing health insurance via the ‘Ushirika Afya Premium Loan’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO | COURTESY
Dar es Salaam. Farmers’ access to health insurance has been bolstered following a new partnership between CRDB Bank Plc and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) that was entered yesterday.
The pact is expected to boost health insurance coverage in the country, which currently is at about 32 percent, out of which 23 percent is through membership via Community Health Fund (CHF).
Access to health insurance ensures that beneficiaries can access health services even when they do not have cash at hand.
According to a statement released by the two parties to the contract, the agreement between CRDB Bank and NHIF, which was signed in Dar es Salaam yesterday, ensures that farmers will be able to get health insurance services on loan.
This means, the bank will pay premium and recover its money from farmers after the latter had sold their crops. “With this agreement, farmers will only be required to pay for the insurance premium at the end of the growing season when their produce have been sold,” CRDB Bank’s managing director Abdulmajid Nsekela said in Dar es Salaam.
Known as “Ushirika Afya Premium Loan”, the product will be issued to farmers through their cooperative societies.
The arrangement is deliberately designed to ensure that health insurance benefits are extended to farmers and their dependants (spouses and children) via cooperatives.
“The loan is issued in accordance with the insurance premium whereby for a grown up person, it is Sh76,800 while under-five children will receive a Sh50,400 loan for their insurance premium,” he said.
The loan will be issued free of any charges and interest.
With the “Ushirika Afya Premium Loan,” a farmer also has the option of taking a Sh355,200 premium bundle for the entire family.
This one will cover health insurance requirements for six people (a couple and four children).
“Our goal is to help the government in its efforts to improve health of Tanzanians by boosting health insurance coverage. We have started with agriculture because it is the sector that employs a majority of Tanzanians,” he said. Data shows that agriculture employs about 65 percent of Tanzania’s labour force.
“It is our hope that when you help improve the health of farmers, you will have played a key role in recuperating the health of Tanzanians,” he said.
NHIF director general Bernard Konga said the health fund would diligently work with farmers to ensure that they conduct their activities without worry for their health.
“Our aim is to ensure that farmers are able to access health services whenever they need them. For our part, we have improved our services in efforts to ensure that our members are able to easily access them whenever they need them,” he said.
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