The remarks were made by Stella Kajange, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG) when she presided over a workshop to discuss research findings on CHF Iliyoboreshwa, a public social health insurance scheme.

The workshop was jointly organized by PORALG, Ministry of Health (MoH) and HPSS project to engage various stakeholders on the study findings and recommendations, which are expected to inform the development of the National Universal Health Insurance legislation.

"The government through our ministry will take up the study findings and recommendations and use them to inform the process of enhancing the health financing mechanism", Kajange said

Kajange further said the government is excited about the continued collaboration and “we will therefore continue supporting the work of HPSS project and other health stakeholders."

On his part, Manfred Stoermer, Project Director at HPSS Project expressed his satisfaction at what the project has achieved so far.

“We hope the government will sustain the project’s health system strengthening contributions even long after the phaseout of the HPSS Project”, he said.

Speaking at the workshop on behalf of the Swiss Embassy in Tanzania, Jacqueline Matoro, hailed Tanzania Government for the cooperation and support it continues to provide toward the implementation of HPSS project interventions.

“We’re confident that gains realized in the course of CHF Iliyoboreshwa implementation will be sustainable”, said Matoro.

HPSS project, MoH, and PORALG jointly conducted the research study to determine factors affecting the implementation of CHF Iliyoboreshwa, people’s perceptions, enrolment, marketing, and financial viability.

While the study highlighted several strengths of the scheme, it also observed that the delay in making payments to health facilities providing medical services to CHF members was a common complaint among service providers.

In light of the complaint, the study recommended a deliberate mechanism to be put in place to ensure timely payments to the health facilities.

Additionally, the study results showed that although affordability, portability, and the attractive benefits package make the scheme more competitive, there was an urgent need to strengthen CHF Iliyoboreshwa enrolment structures.