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Survey: Private sector health workers live in...
2007-08-27 08:26:36
By Anna Mandara, SAUT
An investigation carried out by the Union of Tanzania Press Clubs (UTPC) has established that 90 per cent of health workers in the country live in pathetic conditions due to meager salaries they receive.
Speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, UTPC director general Abubakar Karsan said the situation of health workers in rural areas was worse than those in urban areas because basic social services such as schools and transport were out of reach.
Most health workers, especially nurses, received between 30,000/- and 40,000/- per month in the private sectors whereas those in the government were paid over 300,000/- per month.
An investigation carried out in Dodoma Region and seven other regions revealed that most health centres had shortage of laboratory facilities such as cardiographic tools, drip holders, beds and bed sheets,` he noted.
He said such problems hindered medical staff from performing their jobs efficiently, with most of them working overtime with no risk allowance.
Promotion was also a problem for those in the private sector. Meanwhile, those working in government and religious health centres said there was no guideline for promotions while those who finally got promoted had a problem getting their salaries adjusted accordingly.
The survey further revealed most nurses did not go for further training, thus did not improve their knowledge in the field.
Lack of proper housing and house allowance were also found to be a problem, with most nurses failing to secure proper housing due to higher rents which they could not afford to pay.
At times, some lived far from their working stations, thus increasing transport costs to and from work.
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