Mkapa Foundation Board of Trustees Observing Impact in the Field

Mkapa Foundation Board of Trustees Observing Impact in the Field

The Mkapa Foundation Board of Trustees (BOT) recently experienced firsthand the continuing impact of the Foundation’s health interventions when they went on a field visit in Dar es Salaam.

One area that the BOT was able to experience was on the Foundation with the support of UNICEF Tanzania having trained and deployed 620 Community Health Workers in 5 Dar es Salaam Municipalities fully equipped with PPE’s and 55 mobile phones. The mobile phones enabling the use of technology to offer health education services as well as facilitate community to facility referrals through the CHAID application.

Considering the current COVID-19 situation and threat of a fourth wave, COVID-19 surveillance at points of entry had been greatly enhanced by the human resources support that Mkapa Foundation has given.

The BOT was also able to learn that the Julius Nyerere International Airport is one of the points of entry that has benefited from the Foundation deploying a multi-disciplined human resource team to perform multi-tasks as the COVID-19 surveillance services continue to expand. The team of Accountants, Social Workers, Lab Assistants, Clinicians and IT technicians has created efficiency with travelers spending not more than 45 minutes for the test and result process.

Despite misconceptions regarding COVID-19 vaccines, the CHW sensitization has resulted in Kinondoni municipality achieving 94% of its COVID-19 vaccination target following accelerating the uptake of 33,000 (94%) against the target of 35,000 total vaccination for the Municipality. On a national regional scale, this has raised the bar of COVID-19 vaccine uptake from 50% to 80%.

One of the challenges facing the beneficiaries of Mkapa Foundation Human Resources for Health interventions like the JNIA is the retention or mainstreaming of staff deployed by the Foundation where the Government has not yet arrived at the necessary allocations for this to happen. The Chairperson of the Mkapa Foundation Board of Trustees, Dr. Adeline Kimambo advised the JNIA management to look into ways different stakeholders frequently utilizing JNIA services for their operations can contribute resources towards mainstreaming these staff.

It is worth to also note that the importance of time in health care cannot be over emphasized. Timeliness reduces the critical nature of emergencies, mitigating, mortality, morbidity and chronic resulting conditions. The use of Community Health Assistance Information and Decision Making tool (CHAID), an application installed in the phones of CHW’s has enabled timely assessment of patients prompting appropriate referrals and reception of patients from the village to dispensaries and other health facilities.

As the noble work continues, The Mkapa Foundation continues in its quest to ensure health care services reach all equitably.

Mkapa Foundation Board of Trustees Observing Impact in the Field