DAR ES SALAAM: BENEFICIARIES of the USAID Public Sector Systems Strengthening Plus (USAID PS3+) project have outlined numerous benefits brought by the scheme, including enhanced transparency, accountability and service delivery, among others.
They noted that the improvement of the systems has helped to streamline operations and obtain information in a timely and accurate manner.
The USAID PS3+ is a five-year project funded by the US government and implemented through the USAID (United States Agency for International Development), with support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR).
The project has successfully strengthened multiple government systems, including Facility Financial Accounting and Reporting System (FFARS), Government of Tanzania Health Operations Management Information System (GoTHOMIS), Local Government Revenue Collection Information System (LGRCIS/TAUSI), MUSE (Government Expenditure Management System) and Planning and Reporting System (PlanRep), among others.
The beneficiaries were speaking during the 11th Tanzania Health Summit held recently in Zanzibar at the USAID Public Sector Systems Strengthening Plus (USAID PS3+) Health Forum, themed ‘Towards Universal Health Coverage: A Digital Approach to Strengthen Public Sector Systems for Improved Service Delivery’’.
This forum aimed at sharing lessons learned from the impact of the USAID PS3+ strengthened systems usability in the health sector.
Chamwino District Council Internal Auditor, Sarah Ngibwazi, said that the strengthening of the systems has brought significant improvements in their operations, including reducing loss of government funds and minimise fraud.
She said that through the Facility Financial Accounting and Reporting System (FFARS) she has been able to get timely and accurate information and advise the government of risk indicators and how to manage them.
The system improvement has increased accountability and improved efficiency because even a person at the grassroot level can know what is going on, thus minimise fraud and corruption.
“These systems have helped us a lot by reducing the chances of financial mismanagement, to date when funds are allocated, they go directly to the intended activities, and the work is being done and seen by citizens.
The advantage of the systems is that they allow you to monitor progress, even from one’s phone, and one can find out what is happening at their station, since the information is being published online.
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Ms Ngibwazi said the systems are used at all levels, from the municipal level to the lowest level, covering all health centres, schools, and even villages.
“Previously it was very difficult to track all the plans and progress, but through the system such as PlanRep you can know what you have budgeted and received and inform the government what is going on in health facilities, schools and councils,” she said.
On his part, the Director of Information and Communication Technology from the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government, Erick Kitali, said that there has been a huge impact brought by the systems in terms of coverage.
He said FFARS covers more than 34,000 facilities across the country, including 21,973 education, 6,652 health facilities, 1,274 wards, and 4391 village/mtaa while PlanRep covers 34,271 facilities in Tanzania Mainland including 6652 health facilities, 21,954 education, 1,274 wards and 4,391 village/mtaa and GoTHOMIS around 4,000 facilities.
“Through the use of all these systems you can even track the productivity in terms of workers working in these facilities including health, education and agriculture…in agriculture we have to include the citizen when we are doing the budgeting and planning,” he said.
The Director of Information and Communication Technologies at the Ministry of Health (MOH), Silvanus Ilomo, pointed out that the role of digital systems is crucial in UHC, and requires strong collaboration with stakeholders, including the private sector. “A great example of this is the Unified Community System (UCS).
Through USAID PS3+ support and strong collaboration, the ministry has been able to harmonise systems across the community.”
For his part, Assistant Director, Policy, Research, and Innovation at the Ministry of Health Tumainieli Macha commended the progress made in digitalisation in the country through the support of various development partners including the USAID PS3+.
He however, said that Tanzania has a long way to go in implementing the UHC initiative calling upon all key stakeholders to collaborate and come up with strategies to help the country to realise its ambitious health initiative.
