Health deputy minister Dr Godwin Mollel issued the stand yesterday when speaking in Dodoma during the climax to commemorate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) which is cerebrated every January 30 worldwide.
Dr Mollel said currently government has facilitated all regional hospitals with different modern facilities including CT SCAN so medical practitioners can organize medical camp in regions and district to fasten surgeries for people with that problem who are estimated to be 29,500 all over the country.
He said the speed of national programme to conduct surgeries for people who suffer wish that problem is not enough and if intervention is not done it will take many decades to end the disease because the statistics indicate that until last year only 8,191surgiries were done.
“I don’t direct you to go and conduct 60 surgeries per day from now but it is my idea that if we sit to gather and strategies it is very possible. Come in my office so that we discuss on how to go about it I believe is possible because to do surgeries for people who have such problem don’t need super specialist, my worry is that if we continue with this trend it will take us many decades to finish this problem” Dk. Mollel
According the current statistics, only 1,200 surgeries is done annually for people who have lymphatic Filariasis which is the estimates of three surgeries per day the trend that according to the Deputy Minister will take many decades to finish 29,500 surgeries for people who have the diseases countrywide.
“But honorable president recognize your efforts and she is happy with your performances. We know the difficulties you face during the executions of your daily activities but be proud that government recognize your efforts and will support you to ensure by 2030 we eliminate all tropical diseases,” said Dr Mollel
Meanwhile, the deputy minister said he is not optimistic that all people who suffer with that problem can afford surgeries costs so he promised to advise President Samia Suluhu Hassan to provide for free as a move to end fast the problem in the country.
Coordinator of National programme to eliminate NTDs, Dr George Kabona said currently one lymphatic Filariasis surgery cost up to 250,000 adding that until the programme has managed to do 8,191 surgeries all around the country.
He said in 2008 they did 200 surgeries, and respectively in 2013 (680), 2015 (315), 2016 (709), 2017 (1,239) and 2018 (1,441) while in 2019 the programme did 1,387 surgeries, 2020 (1,054), 2021 (1,116) adding that the National Programme to eliminate neglected tropical diseases was introduced in 2009 in collaboration with USAIDS.
He said until 2016 the National Programme services reached the whole country and he commended donors and other government department which has been working to gather to enable the smooth operations of the programme all over the country.
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