The government has increased its budget for purchasing medicine from 41bn/- in the fiscal year 2014/15 up to 251bn/- in 2015/16 to address shortages.
The Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, said over the weekend that the Fifth Phase government was well prepared to ensure that no patient will die due to shortage of drugs because in this fiscal year, it has allocated enough funds for purchasing drugs.
She made the statement in Kahama District shortly after the launch of the New HIV Testing and Counselling Campaign for Highly Vulnerable adolescent girls and young women, which was held at Kakola Primary School grounds.
“The drugs’ budget has increased from 41bn/- last year up to 251bn/- in this year’s budget. This demonstrates that the government is well organised in serving the people”, she told her audience.
She assured the young girls, who turned up in big numbers to check their health status, that all those who will be found to have been infected with the virus will get enough drugs.
“The president has given me the Ministry of Health while knowing that I am not a doctor.
But I want to assure all Tanzanians that every child who will be born in the country will not be infected with HIV infections because we have enough drugs – for HIV/AIDS and other diseases”, she pointed out.
She appealed to religious leaders and prominent leaders in Shinyanga Region to cooperate with the government in encouraging young women to come forward and test for HIV to know their health status.
Acting Shinyanga Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) Mohamed Njila said the government in Shinyanga Region will ensure that its residents have access to appropriate health care. He thanked the ministry for launching the new national HIV testing and counselling campaign in his region.
Source: allafrica.com
Image: mg.co.za
