By Elias Mhegera
May 2010
Provision of Quality Medical Services
MBEYA referral hospital could be one of the best of its category countrywide in terms of quick delivery of service and high morale of its staff, according to its director, Dr Eleuter Samky.
Responding to this journalist during the survey which was sponsored by HakiElimu, Dr Samky said that there has been no complains of any kind from either patients or their relatives in recent times.
“Given the circumstances I can proudly say that our hospital ranks quite high in the hospitals of our calibre, we lack resources, specialized engineers and other human resources but still our spirits are quite high” he confirmed.
He attributed this fact to the total commitment of workers who knows that their shortage should not affect their patients anyhow. He was supported by the hospital’s secretary, Ms Aisha Mtanda.
So far the hospital caters for four regions namely; Iringa, Mbeya, Rukwa and Ruvuma. The trend of referred cases is increasing which signifies that patients are satisfied by services at the hospital.
A tour in some wards under the escort of Ms Mtanda indicated that the hospital is well equipped with modern type of equipment in its laboratory, operation rooms, and other appliances for medical examination.
There was also an opportunity to hear from the ‘horse’s mouth’ as this would cement the report from the workers themselves and their patients. The report was encouraging with various differences. Some relatives complained that they cannot afford to live in the city while attending their relatives at hospitals including the referral hospital.
There was no sharing of beds, nor was any patient found sleeping on the floor as it has been frequently reported in other referral hospitals. A whole day survey indicated that there is big number of patients in the morning but they are all well attended before noon.
The basic services that are provided at the hospital according to Dr Samky are X-ray, provision of basic medicine for emergency cases and quick intervention whenever the need arises.
The charges are comparatively low with flat rates ranging from 10 to 15 shillings depending on the services that are provided. Ms Mtanda on her part encourages fresh graduates to make themselves available for services throughout the country and not cling to Dar es Salaam as is the trend now.
“I grew up in Dar es Salaam but I don’t see any difficulty working here in Mbeya, it is just the matter of switching the attitude towards this line of thinking” she disclosed.
Overcoming the Challenges
On the side of challenges Dr Samky admits that they fall within the country’s social economic framework. There is a chronic shortage of doctors and nurses to man the hospital of its size.
Similarly there are shortages in other supporting staff for the health sector. Resources are scarce given the fact that a good number of those who are attended at the hospital come from low income families.
However, all these problems are overcome due to well organization and management of the available staff and resources. The government in this aspect has been very supportive according to its resource capacity.
Comments from Mbeya Residents
From Hassan Mbarazi a madrasa teacher he lauded the government on its continued support of the health sector, but he called for the need to inject more funds in the health sector saying that there are shortcomings that must be met.
He challenged the government to divert funds from other sectors that have proved failure to the health sector because it is directly related with lives of people. For instance he counseled that funds which have been misappropriated must be recaptured and be redirected to the health sector.
A Mbeya based journalist Christopher Nyenyembe said that there are quite improvements in the health sector in Mbeya. These to a certain extent have been facilitated by other factors like improvement in infrastructure and water supply which is so vital for hospital purposes.
However Nyenyembe precaution that in order to improve services in Mbeya there must be a balanced provision of services from grass root level particularly in the rural settings where a good number of Tanzanians dwell.
He challenged the system whereby all basic resources and social services amenities are concentrated in the urban centres. Therefore he warns that with the neglect of the rural areas there ultimate result is the high rural-urban migration whereby Mbeya city has not escaped this trend.
Rose Mwakingwe a nurse at Ilemi Hospital in one of the Mbeya suburbs says that the health sector has been hit hard by the global financial crunch in so many ways. For instance civil servants cannot afford the fast rocketing prices which means they have to look for other sources of incomes in order to support their families.
Mwakingwe said she had to revitalize her spirit of tolerance in difficulties due to the fact that she must tackle her duties in the hospital regardless of the fact that she is leading a difficult life caused by inflation and unmet workers demands.
A city based councilor from the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi who preferred anonymity commented that the health sector in Mbeya has remained stable almost throughout all the four phases. He however noted that the recent speech by President Jakaya Kikwete against the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) could demoralize workers.
A highly placed source within the Mbeya Regional Medical office admitted that congestion of patients is always a common phenomenon at the regional hospital due to the shortage of doctors, nurses and other supporting staffs.
He hinted that the recent general inspection was not satisfactory to the extent that inspectors had threatened to close the hospital for sometime until when the situation was improved. He called for the central government to inject more funds in the health sector in order to rescue the situation.
The Mbeya regional hospital is the mainstay of many patients in the fast growing city of Mbeya due to the fact that it caters for other neighbouring regions and for non Tannins who frequently use Mbeya borders on their travels to and from Dar es Salaam.
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