Speech by Hon. Dr. Dorothy O. Gwajima (MP), Minister of Health Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children

14th July, 2021

Your Excellency, Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of United Republic of Tanzania
Your Excellency, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, and Chair of the Revolutionary Council;
Your Excellencies Former Presidents of the United Republic of Tanzania and Former Presidents of Zanzibar;
Your Excellencies Former Heads of State and Governments and friends of Late Former President Benjamin William Mkapa;
Mama Anna Mkapa; Widow of the Late President Benjamin William Mkapa;
Honourable Nassor Ally Mazrui (MRC), Minister for Health, Social Development, Elders, Gender and Children of Zanzibar;
Honourable Dr. Khalid Salum Mohamed, Minister of State, Second Vice President Office, Zanzibar;
Permanent Secretaries,
Members of Diplomatic Corps;
Dr. Adeline Kimambo, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the
Benjamin William Mkapa Foundation;
Dr. Ellen Mkondya Senkoro, Chief Executive Officer of the Benjamin William Mkapa Foundation;
Family and Friends;

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen

Ninawasalimu kwa Jina la Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

It is my pleasure and great honour to address this important day that marks our thoughtful gratitude to a person who transformed our country’s economy and health sector through his leadership style that embraced principles of good governance, leadership, and accountability we are flourishing in today, His Excellency, Late Benjamin William Mkapa. This day has brought us together to value his efforts to improve the performance of the health sector in Tanzania.

As a great initiator, believer, and champion of system strengthening and institutionalization, Late Benjamin Mkapa set out key fundamental and sustainable improvements in the Health Sector through the establishment of Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) in 1999. He championed the first Program of Work Plan (1999-2001) as the first Health Sector Strategic Plan during the Public Sector reforms which were initiated by him in 1996. I am pleased to inform you that since then SWAp stakeholders have continued with the tradition of developing Five Years Strategic Plan that aligns with the Five Years Development Plan. This year we have launched the Fifth Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP 2021 – 2026) that focuses on leaving no one behind as a means towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Other initiatives that resulted from the Health Sector Reforms include the initiation of Health Basket Fund, National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Community Health Fund (CHF) which had all set footsteps towards UHC.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is from this strong foundation and that of his successors that health sector has recorded achievements over the years. I commend the Government of United Republic of Tanzania and all stakeholders have exerted in ensuring all citizens can equitably access quality health services as needed countrywide. Today the sector have registered number of strategic health sector performance in Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Children and Adolescent Health, HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Control, Infrastructure development, increased availability of medical commodities in all level of service delivery and management and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases. On the other hand the government has continued to improve the availability of qualified human resources for health, use of technology and promotion of good governance, leadership and accountability in all levels of health service delivery.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Despite these gains, the country is still facing high burden of Non Communicable Disease, high death rates of women and children and weak systems for disease epidemics and disaster management. Various health systems challenges such as limited access to health care due to weak infrastructure capacity, Human Resource for Health shortage, limited access to relevant health technologies are some of the key problems hinder progress in the fight to end preventable maternal and child deaths. The Government will continue to invest on workable solution that will transform health care systems particularly for our women and children, remembering their health is our wealth.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you are all aware Tanzania like any other country continue to face a risk of health emergencies including diseases of epidemic potential such as COVID-19, Ebola, SARS. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused devastating impact on economic and social consequences. I would like to acknowledge the unwavering guidance and directives from H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of United Republic of Tanzania that have enabled our country to have nineteen (19) strategic areas to control and contain COVID -19 and mitigate the risk of the pandemic to the overall health systems including service delivery channels. I would like to use this platform to urge stakeholders to join hands with the Government of Tanzania in the implementation of these recommendations. As the sectoral ministry responsible for health, we will continue to focus on strengthening systems for early warning, preparedness, response and monitoring of COVID-19 to the country.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Government will continue to use Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) to work with Non- State Actors (NSA) in the implementation and review of heath sector strategic priorities. Through Benjamin William Mkapa Foundation as one of the non-state actors for health, we have witnessed a significant contribution in health system performance especially in infrastructure, human resources for health development and deployment aiming at accelerating delivery of quality health services in areas with high demand of health services as it has been well presented by the CEO of Mkapa Foundation.

We highly appreciate the Late Benjamin William Mkapa for his vision that established this foundation which contributed to the legacy we are celebrating today.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have heard from our Panelist about Universal Health Coverage progress in Tanzania. I acknowledge the recommendations provided towards alternative human resource for health approaches, technological development to accelerate health outcomes, effective private sector engagement and resource mobilization. All these approaches have been anchored in the recent launched Health Sector Strategic Plan V of which I call upon stakeholders to synergies efforts towards its implementation to achieve the set targets.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

With these brief remarks I would like to assure the guest of Honor, Hon Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of United Republic of Tanzania that the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children commitment to continue working with the Non State Actors in ensuring no Tanzanian is left behind in the provision of health care.

Asanteni kwa kunisikiliza.