Child Help’s visit to PharmAccess to cultivate collaboration for better Health Care for the SBH Community, Dar es Salaam

PharmAccess is an international NGO that believes in doing healthcare better by focusing on the root causes that hamper health care financing and investments towards equitable and quality health care in sub-Saharan Africa. Among other objectives, through public-private partnerships, PharmAccess focuses on promoting basic health insurance plans and other innovative demand-side financing options to protect people from financial hardship.

Child-Help representatives had the opportunity to visit Dr. Heri Marwa, the Country Director at PharmAccess. The purpose of this visit was to discuss possible areas of Cooperation that can improve health care for children with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus in Tanzania. The Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH) community still faces financial challenges for special healthcare. Securing a health insurance plan that can cover life-long care services is a huge leap towards obtaining health care sustainability for these children throughout their lives.

PharmAcess, through their worldwide recognition, are willing to show cooperation on discussed areas including financial support, link to relevant social health insurance institutions and medical authorities such as; NHIF (National Health Insurance Fund), TMDA (Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority), and MSD (Medical Stores Department), and hopefully recognition of the SBH Community by the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Heri Marwa had this to say: “I have welcomed to my office Mr. Pierre Mertens, President of Child-Help International, together with representatives from child-Help Tanzania to discuss how we can work together to help children with Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus. Our health system has neglected children with these conditions, causing great suffering to them and their parents, many of whom come from low-income households.”

Also, Child-Help Tanzania’s Director, Mr. Abdulhakim, commented on this endeavour: “We expect this cooperation to bear fruits of labour with great enthusiasm, but we still do have a lot to discuss on our following meetings with PharmAccess, a lot of T’s to cross and I’s to dot.”