The improved Community Health Fund (iCHF) has managed to collect some 30bn/- from members’ contributions in the last four years.
The iCHF Coordinator from the Office of the President, Regional Administrations and Local Governments (PO-RALG), Mr Silvery Maganza said recently in Morogoro that the fund currently has over four million members equal to 7.6 per cent of their goal of 80 per cent of those in the informal sector.
“I challenged those in an informal sector to join this fund so that they can be sure of meeting treatment costs since medical costs are on the higher side,” Mr Maganza said.
Those engaged in the informal sector are often facing a lack of money to pay for their treatment bills challenge.
Mr Maganza was speaking at a capacity-building training for fund officers at the regional level who are accountants, IT specialists and coordinators on the use of the Government e-Payment Gateway’ (GePG).
The training has been funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through the Health Promotion and System Strengthening Project (HPSS).
The iCHF is facing several challenges, especially low membership affected by a lack of education on the benefit of the fund and its importance.
Tuimarishe Afya Project, IT System Analyst Nicholas Kanisa said that the project offers technical and financial support to ensure that all systems are interconnected.
iCHF Morogoro Region Coordinator Ms Elisia Mtesigwa said that despite the existing success, there are challenges in the availability of medicines as well as the existence of guidelines that explain how to provide iCHF services from the dispensary level to the regional referral hospital.
