The Fund has also introduced other schemes including ‘Toto Afya Kadi’ for children under 18 years, ‘Mama na Mwana’ for expectant mothers who are not members of the Fund, and KIKOA, which targets special entrepreneur groups such as VICOBA and Savings and Credit Co operative Societies (SACOS).
“Our aim is to ensure universal health coverage. The government wants 85 per cent of the country’s population to be enrolled with insurance health services by financial year 2025/2026”, said NIHF Acting Director General Michael Mhando during a brief meeting with journalists in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.
He said the Fund had been able to reach 27 per cent of Tanzanians through NHIF and Community Health Fund (CHF) by end of December, last year, adding that the target was to reach 50 per cent of the population by the year 2020.
Mhando said the institution has been offering medical treatment to retired members. He called on the elderly to grab the opportunity since it was the fund’s priority to serve them.
As of December 2015, NHIF had registered 27,056 retired members whose beneficiaries amounted to 51,598 including their spouses. There are 2, 507, 568 elders in Tanzania which is equivalent to 5.6 percent of the population, according to the national census of 2012.
He said the Fund was also striving to improve its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems to enhance provision of services to its customers and service providers. He said in future the Fund would be able to verify its members electronically as well as receiving/sending services providers’ claims.
“We have established a call centre. It has so far reached 5,257 customers in four months,” said the NHIF boss.
In her presentation titled ‘Retirement and health,’ Dr. Aifena Mramba said the Wazee Kwanza scheme was crucial since retirement was accompanied by many basic lifestyle challenges including economic comfort, loss of social networks.
“We are fulfilling our role in health care, most diseases that afflict the elderly are chronic and costly, afflicting the elderly at a time when they do not have sufficient and sustained income,” she said.
Dr Mramba said most old-age diseases required complex services which were costly and were available in referral facilities. She mentioned some of the medical services that the elderly could access at hospitals as dialysis, immunosuppressant, anticancer, medical and orthopaedic appliances, joint replacement implants, invasive cardiac procedures, MRI and CT-Scan.
Wazee Kwanza scheme was launched early this month in Morogoro by Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ummy Mwalimu.
The minister said her ministry had prepared an Elderly Bill which would soon be tabled in the National Assembly for endorsement. She said the law was expected to ensure that the elderly got their rights as well as improved their welfare.
Mwalimu directed district executive directors to ensure free medical treatment for the elderly at their respective areas. She mentioned some of the regions with a big number of elderly people as Kilimanjaro (6.4%), Mbeya (6.1%), Dar es Salaam (6.1%), Morogoro (5.6%), Tanga (5.6%), Dododoma (5.6%), Kagera (5%) and Mwanza (4.9%)
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