DAR ES SALAAM: PRIVATE hospitals have announced their decision to
resume offering services to National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cardholders with immediate effect.This decision follows a temporary suspension of services initiated on March 1st, citing unresolved contractual matters with the fund.
In a statement released yesterday by NHIF, the hospitals, namely Regency Medical Centre, TMJ Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Bochi Hospital, have expressed their commitment to providing uninterrupted healthcare services to NHIF beneficiaries.
The NHIF, in response, assured members that steps were being taken to resolve the concerns raised by the private hospitals. In the statement, NHIF confirmed that representatives from the fund management had visited the aforementioned hospitals to assess their readiness to resume services for NHIF members.
Following these visits, the NHIF expressed satis – faction with the hospitals’ preparedness to reinstate healthcare services.
Moreover, the NHIF emphasised the importance of adhering to established procedures to ensure the continued availability of services to its members.
Hospitals that had temporarily suspended services were reminded to comply with the procedures to facilitate a smooth transition back to normal operations.
With the resolution of the contractual dispute, the NHIF has directed its members to resume accessing medical services at the previously affected hospitals without interruption.
In the event of any issues or concerns during this transition period, NHIF members are advised to contact the Customer Service Centre via the toll-free number 199 for assistance.
The development brings relief to NHIF cardholders who rely on private hospitals for their healthcare needs.
The swift resolution of the contractual matters underscores the importance of collaboration between healthcare providers and insurance entities in ensuring uninterrupted access to quality medical care for all members of the community.
After carefully considering the speech of the Health Minister, which indicates the intention for affordable pricing and the ministry’s openness to discussion, we have agreed to negotiate with NHIF under the Ministry’s guidance while continuing to provide services to all NHIF beneficiaries with immediate effect,” TMJ Hospital Limited stated in a public announcement.
Similarly, Bochi Hospital Limited issued a public notice informing its customers and the general public of its decision to reverse the suspension of services to NHIF members.
The notice mentioned that patients admitted to the ICU and High Dependency Unit using NHIF cards would continue to receive treatment.
On 29 February NHIF announced that it would roll out new packages for services offered by health facilities starting March 1, 2024 but some private hospitals rejected them and announced the decision to suspend service to NHIF members.
At the beginning of the year when the move was being put into motion and private healthcare providers rejected the packages, Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu sought to address the concerns and prevent service disruptions, holding a consultative meeting with auxiliary stakeholders, namely civil society bodies of community health care providers.
Those asked to attend the meeting were representatives from the Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC), the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) and the BAKWATA Medical Association affiliated with the nationwide Muslim Supreme Council, as well as the Association of Private Health Facilities in Tanzania (APHFTA) being in attendance.
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