Govt disburses 140bn/- to MSD in three quarters

THE government has disbursed 94 per cent of the 200bn/-budget allocated for the Medical Stores Department (MSD) until March this year to procure drugs and medical equipment thus improving medical service delivery countrywide.

Government Chief Pharmacist Daudi Msasi stated here recently, when opening a two-day seminar for media editors here on Wednesday, that the department had so far received 140.9bn/-.

He said the disbursement was a record since making allocation is one thing and disbursement of the resources is something of great importance for efficiency.

“This is a big achievement of the sixth phase government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan. We’ve never experienced this before,” he said.

On his part, MSD Director General, Mr Mavere Tukai said they would build five warehouses in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Kagera, Dodoma an Mtwara whose construction is at the procurement stage.

The move is meant to improve the performance of its services as the warehouses will increase the storage capacity taking into account that demand for drugs and medical equipment has been increasing.

The biggest facilities will be in Dares Salaam, where they will build large and ultra-modern warehouses as it is serving almost more than 12 million people.

According to Mr Tukai, another warehouse will be built in Mwanza, which will serve more than 11million people and another big warehouse in Dodoma.

Moreover, he said, MSD is going digital for increased efficiency and transparency, thus making it easier when it comes to tracing the stumbling blocks in their operations.

The move, he said, will make them work online and in a transparent manner, hence eliminatinating bureaucracy.

“There is no reason to hide public information because everyone should see it and through the internet system and be able to identify employees who perform to the required standards,” he said.

Moreover, he said, they have purchased 140 dialysis machines for the purpose of utting down the cost of service. “Dialysis service is among the areas which consume a lion’s share of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)’s budget.

So we need to offer the services at a much affordable price,” said Mr Tuvai The dialysis machines will be installed in 14-health facilities of which five are in operation at Benjamin Mkapa, Tumbi, Amana, Chato and Sekou Toure hospitals.

Moreover, infrastructures are being finalized so that the services can be offered in Temeke, Mwananyamala, Mawenzi, AICC and Morogoro hospitals, among others, whereas each centre will receive ten dialysis machines.