Govt expands access to free dialysis services

DODOMA: THE government, through the Medical Stores Department (MSD), has reiterated its commitment to providing free health products under the Msonge Project, which targets major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy.

Speaking at a press conference in Dodoma on Friday, Chief Government Spokesperson and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Gerson Msigwa, emphasised MSD’s consistent efforts to ensure that critical supplies reach their intended beneficiaries.

“In strengthening the sustainable implementation of the Msonge Project, MSD has significantly improved the project’s execution, from 18 per cent in 2022 to an impressive 97 per cent by December 2024, which marked the conclusion of the sixth cycle of the Global Fund (GC6),” Mr Msigwa said.

He explained that the government has implemented measures to address potential risks resulting from changes in donor policies, thereby safeguarding the continued availability of essential health products for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

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For the 2024/25 financial year, the Ministry of Health has allocated 142bn/- to procure vital medical supplies, aimed at guaranteeing a steady and reliable supply at all times. In addition, the government is implementing a special programme through MSD to expand access to dialysis services for kidney treatment while reducing the high costs of such services.

As of August 2025, the number of dialysis machines has grown from 60 in 2021 to 137, while hospitals offering dialysis services have increased from six in 2021 to 15 in 2025.

This investment, valued at 7.7bn/-, has enabled 11 hospitals including Amana, Mwananyamala, Temeke, Morogoro, Katavi, Tumbi, Chato, Sekou Toure and UDOM to begin offering dialysis services, with four more undergoing maintenance.

“This strategy aims to reduce dialysis costs, which currently range between 200,000/- and 230,000/-, to below 100,000/-,” Mr Msigwa remarked.

Significant strides have also been made in oral and dental health. In 2021/22, MSD distributed dental equipment worth 9.98bn/-, a sharp increase from 254.7m/- in the previous year.

Over the past four years, oral and dental health products valued at 21.5bn/- have been distributed nationwide. Of this, 17.87bn/- went to modern dental chairs and Xray machines, resulting in the distribution of 647 dental chairs and 331 advanced Xray machines to regional and district hospitals.

Furthermore, the government has upgraded 316 health centres to provide emergency maternal and child health services. In the last four years, 414 health products worth 100.18bn/- have been procured, distributed and installed in health facilities across the country.

To ensure uninterrupted supply, MSD has also increased its distribution cycles from four to six annually, meaning health facilities now receive products every two months instead of every three.

“The timely delivery of health products from MSD warehouses to health facilities has also improved significantly, rising from 23 per cent in 2021/22 to 98 per cent currently,” Mr Msigwa noted.