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Chief Medical Officer warns health staff who charge exempted groups
2008-02-12 09:57:52
By Correspondent Nasser Kigwangallah
The Chief Medical Officer Deo Mutasiwa has condemned unfaithful workers in the health sector for charging money to people who exempted under the national health policy.
He said under the National Health Policy, children under five, pregnant mothers and the elderly are exempted from paying for health services at government hospitals, dispensaries and clinics throughout the country.
Mutasiwa was responding to a question by the Guardian yesterday in Dar es Salaam on why nurses at government hospitals were accepting money from children under five, pregnant mothers and the elderly without issuing receipts.
``It is wrong for any health official to demand money from the three groups as the policy clearly states they should not be charged and are supposed to be treated freely,`` he said.
He appealed to the public, including journalists, to investigate and report to his office such cases so that disciplinary measures could be initiated against workers who were damaging his ministry`s image in offering health services to the people.
He was surprised to hear such information and hailed people who report malpractices committed in the hospitals under his jurisdiction, and pledged to investigate the matter for necessary measures.
Mutasiwa said as far as he knew, no money should be charged to children under five, pregnant mothers and the elderly as the national health policy has clearly exempted them.
He said for money paid for any health service offered, a government receipt should be issued by relevant authorities.
According to reports, nurses at government hospitals and clinics engage pregnant mothers with insults and abusive languages during their moments of delivery.
This reporter witnessed pregnant mothers being charged money by nurses for the services offered to them after delivery.
At Kisarawe District Hospital, pregnant mothers are forced to wash bed sheets used after delivery.
A nurse told a mother who had just delivered a baby girl the day before that she would not be permitted to leave the hospital bed dirty, until her relatives clean her bed-sheets.
This practice is common not only at Kisarawe District Hospital, but also at Amana Hospital and Pugu Dispensary in Ilala District.
Dr. Willy Sangu, the Medical in-charge of Amana Hospital refuted these allegations and said it was wrong for the nurses to do so.
``Please report to me all such cases and I will investigate. If I find them true, the nurses responsible for receiving money would be taken to task,`` he said.
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