Tanzania advised to closely monitor private health laboratories with unqualified individuals

DODOMA: THE Parliamentary Standing Committee on Administration, Constitution and Law has called on the government to strengthen oversight of private health laboratories to curb the provision of healthcare services by individuals without professional qualifications in laboratory science or other health-related fields.

The Committee’s Deputy Chairperson, Edwin Swale, said stronger oversight was necessary to protect public health and ensure that laboratory services are provided by qualified professionals recognised under the law.

Swale made the remarks in Parliament in Dodoma on behalf of the Committee’s Chairperson, Dr Damas Ndumbaro, while presenting the Committee’s views on the Miscellaneous Laws (Amendments) Bill, 2026.

According to the Committee, there has been an increase in the number of individuals without qualifications in laboratory science or other health professions providing services to members of the public. It urged the government to ensure that legal requirements are fully enforced to address the situation and prevent potential harm to citizens.

In a separate recommendation, the Committee called on the government to ensure that prisoners who undergo vocational and skills training while in prison are awarded certificates upon completion of their training.

The Committee said certification would help former prisoners gain formal recognition of their skills and improve their chances of securing employment or becoming self-employed after completing their sentences and returning to society.

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The Committee also urged the government to expedite the process of introducing a specific Bill to establish a Youth Council, saying this would provide a legal framework for addressing and safeguarding issues affecting young people in the country.

On the appointment of leaders and board members of public institutions and corporations, the Committee advised the government to publish in the Government Gazette the names of institutions whose leaders would not be appointed through a competitive selection process.

The Committee further recommended a review of laws drafted in outdated language and called for them to be rewritten in simpler language that can be easily understood by members of the public.

It also urged the government to continue reviewing and amending legislation to strengthen the principles of good governance, including clearly separating institutions responsible for policy oversight from those responsible for the day-to-day implementation of government activities.