News From Parliament

Update from the Parliament

Tanzania still ebola free- Deputy Minister

The Ministry of health  and social welfare has cleared the air on fears that the deadly disease--ebola has erupted in the country, saying a team of experts dispatched to the Tanzanian  border with Uganda has yet  to disclose its presence in the country. 

The Deputy Minister Dr Seif Suleiman Rashid told the Parliament that the disease was only reported in Uganda and residents in Kagera were only alerted to the possibility of the disease’s presence in the country.

Dr Rashid said that although a case of a woman and a child showing symptoms of the diseases was reported, preliminary medical examination showed that the woman and the child were Ebola-free.

The Deputy Minister was responding to Ms Cathrine Magige (special seats-CCM) who sought to know the contingency measure the government had taken to deal with ebola threat, considering that rumours were widespread that  the disease was already in the country.

On the other hand, the government has reiterated that all patients suffering from cancer were to be attended free of charge. He said that by so doing, lives of many poor Tanzanians would be saved, considering that the majority of the people were poor. He said according to the country’s health policy, cancer treatments were given free of charge. Consequently, centers providing such services should provide such treatment without taking any payments from the people.

He, however, said that due to budget constraints leading to a drug shortage some patients were forced to buy medicine from other private hospitals, which charge a high price for the prescribed drugs. Dr Rashid was responding to Riziki Omar Juma (Special Seats-CUF), who wanted to know the government’s stand on patients who wanted treatment, but unfortunately had no money.