NHIF-ZHSF strong tie hailed for widening access to health insurance services across Tanzania

DODOMA: Cooperation between the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the Zanzibar Health Services Fund (ZHSF) has been described as important in strengthening access to health insurance services for people in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

The remarks were made by Vice-Chairperson of the Budget Committee of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, Mariam Hamis Said, when the committee, together with ZHSF and NHIF management, visited NHIF headquarters to learn about the Fund’s operations and the delivery of services to its members.

Mariam said cooperation between NHIF and ZHSF has contributed to various stages in the establishment and development of ZHSF, noting that the experience and support provided by NHIF had enabled Zanzibar to advance its efforts to strengthen health insurance services.

She said the visit had been beneficial to the committee as it provided an opportunity to learn about and observe first-hand the systems and services offered by NHIF, including through a visit to Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH).

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The committee also had an opportunity to learn about NHIF’s sources of revenue, indicators used to measure the Fund’s performance and sustainability, as well as experience gained during its 25 years of operations.

Mariam said the experience was important for Zanzibar as it continues to improve its health insurance systems and ensure that citizens have access to quality and sustainable healthcare services.

For her part, NHIF Director General Dr Irene Isaka said the Fund would continue working closely with ZHSF to ensure that citizens and members receive quality healthcare services in a timely and efficient manner.

She said the cooperation was important for sharing experience and strengthening health insurance service delivery systems for the benefit of citizens on both sides of the Union.