The recent national reports indicate that, according to Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategic Plan 2014, Tanzania has only 44 percent of required health workers across all regions.
To address this shortage, The Mkapa Foundation (BMF) has been aiming to complement the government efforts in the improvement of health services and its systems particularly human resource management.
It is with this respect BMF came up with different strategies to address the shortage which include; recruitment of health workersand tutors, provision of student grants and capacity building to Council Health Management Team (CHMT) on attraction, human resource planning, recruitment and retention of health workers in their locality.
For the past ten years, the Mkapa Foundation has innovated projects in close collaboration and consultation with the government through the ministry of health and related institutions.
The projects geared towards combating the HRH crisis include the Mkapa Fellows Programme-Phase Iand II(MFP I and II), Emergency Hiring Project (EHP), Health Systems Strengthening Project (HSS), and Regional Hospital Laboratory Strengthening Project.
From the mentioned projects, a total number of 1,118 health workers including tutors were recruited by the Foundation and postedto work in rural districts, Regional Hospitals and Health Training institutions.
Among those 1118 recruited under the different projects, they served within the public institutions for a period of one to three years, varying from project to project. This was followed by 805 of them being mainstreamed into the public service.
Principal of Sengerema Clinical Officers’ Training College, Dr Jackson Materu has thanked Benjamin Mkapa Foundation for its support in providing tutor for his institute.
“We have received three full time tutors and two part time tutors and has contributed a lot in reduction of workload among tutors. We have also increased student enrolment from 120 to 150,” Dr. Materu said.
Furthermore, some additional and remaining health workers including tutors will be mainstreamed into the government payroll this financial year 2015/16 and the coming year 2016/17. This is a notable achievement registered by the BMF towards sustainability of its efforts. Furthermore it ensures health services are now delivered with quality by skilled health professionals.
In addition to recruiting health workers to work in highly needy areas, the Mkapa Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Health further improved production of health workforce from the Tanzanian training institutions.
This was attained by hiring 212 tutors that were postedto work in 43 health training institutions with the aim of combatting shortage of tutors thus improving quality of teaching.
Among them,100 tutors were mainstreamed into the government employment system and the other62 will be mainstreamed in the 2015/16 financial year. With presence of tutors we have observed an increase of student intake, reduction of workload, speed up of NACTE accreditation and improvement of quality of training in health training institutions.
Likewise Nkinga Health Training Institution Principal, Robert Misana has said extended praise for BMF, stating, "availability of this additional tutors speed up the accreditation of our institute.”
As from year 2012 onwards, the Mkapa Foundation in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the National Accreditation Council for Technical Education (NACTE) facilitated selection and co-sponsoring of 1,000 students to pursue training on allied health courses such as; nursing, clinical medicine, clinical assistants, laboratory assistants and pharmaceutical assistants. Out of the 72 sponsored, 61 graduated in year 2014 and posted to work in the districts.
The impetus on producing these mid-level health cadres is targeting to fill up the severe health workers gaps in the primary health care levels, whereas the incumbents are being posted and work in rural Local Government Authorities. By July 2016, all the remaining 807 students will have graduated and posted to work in rural health facilities.
Health workforce initiative carried by the Mkapa Foundation have been financially supported by numerous donors including the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; Irish Aid; Abbott Fund and many other local corporates that donate to the Foundation such as ACACIA, Bank M, NSSF, Quality Group, AngloGold Ashanti, MO Dewji Foundation, PPF and many other more.
_0.jpg?itok=QU87XW8D){kind=tracking}
.jpeg?itok=vCj6bCRe)
