Health minister Ummy Mwalimu when tabling the UHC bill of 2022 dwelt on issues raised by stakeholders on the UHC draft bill, including a clear financing mechanism to enable 15 million people who are unlikely to pay for the scheme.
The minister said funds would be raised from carbonated drinks, liquors, cosmetics, electronic transaction levy, budgetary allocations and grants from development partners.
Other sources are sports betting, levies from vehicles and motor insurance as well as revenues from the insurance fund where members will pay for their being included in the scheme.
UHC will be regulated by the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA) to oversee the role of members, the service provider, so that health insurance schemes are implemented, she stated.
The revamped bill directs for the establishment of private and public health insurance schemes carrying out self-evaluation exercises each three years or as the regulator may direct.
The sustainability and performance report will help the regulator and the minister to take any useful action, focused on the need for health insurance schemes to have enough capital and offer the required services, she said.
The two schemes are empowered to carry out private investments to expand operating capitals to strengthen sustainability, the minister noted, highlighting that the bill empowers the regulator, “to issue guidelines on the lifespan of the costs of running the schemes” as well as on administering its operations “without affecting provision of services to its members.”
The bill provides that if a member dies, dependents will benefit from services from the scheme up to a specified time as directed by the minister.
The bill assigns registering members on employment basis as employees have to be registered within 30 days from the day employment starts. Private companies will be registered as private health insurance providers after meeting criteria set out in the regulations, the minister affirmed.
The duality is meant to enable individuals to choose the kind of scheme to be served, as plurality of schemes and greater competition promotes quality of services, she said.
Earlier, the Association of Private Health Facilities of Tanzania (APHFTA) called for the creation of a regulator for health insurance to oversee fairness and address challenges like delayed payments for services rendered by private hospitals.
The government is introducing the UHC policy in line with Tanzania's 2007 Health Policy which requires all Tanzanians to contribute towards their health expenses whenever they need them.
Debating the bill, members of Parliament called for a proper system to identify and recognize poor and needy people who will receive free services in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to guarantee its sustainability.
They said the bill was a milestone in provision of quality healthcare, worried by criteria on who cannot afford paying for insurance services.
Josephat Gwajima (Kawe) said that for President Samia Suluhu Hassan the UHC was a game changer in healthcare provision, reaffirming that availability of drugs had increased from 60percent in 2022 to nearly 80 per cent by August 2023.
“We have done a tremendous job in increasing the number of healthcare workers in the country, reaching 50.4 percent of needs,” he said, pointing at the need for a modality to cover over 15m Tanzanians in poverty and over four million in absolute poverty.
Many people are pushed to death from curable diseases as they lack the finances to pay for health services, he further asserted.
Bernadeta Mushashu (Special Seats, Kagera) hailed the government for taking up most of the views and opinions issued by stakeholders and MPs saying economic development derives from a healthy population.
She said non-communicable diseases (NCDs) take up most expenses that people pay for health services, suggesting that UHC will address key challenges facing health service delivery as a whole.
Jackline Ngonyani (Special Seats) commended the government for coming up with a special fund for financially supporting the policy “which is essential to the general public.”
She however, asked the government to come up with data on who exactly was called poor saying that the TASAF system was imperfect, to guarantee proper operations of the UHC.
She urged the construction of more health centers and employment of healthcare workers to complement the idea behind UHC.
Francis Mtenga (Iramba East) said the tabling of the bill was a sign that the president was calm because the bill was brought and returned to the government for further improvements.
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