The Director of Health, Nutrition, and Social Welfare at the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Dr. Rashid Mfaume, has called on municipal councils in Dar es Salaam to consider constructing multi storey health facilities to address the growing challenge of limited land.
Speaking during an official inspection tour of the Kinondoni Health Center, Dr. Mfaume highlighted the need for innovative solutions in urban health infrastructure development.
“Due to the land shortage in Dar es Salaam, it is now necessary for councils to start planning health facilities with vertical designs,” said Dr. Mfaume. “Even if it means building in phases, a storey-based structure will allow for better use of limited space.”
The visit, which focused on assessing the availability and quality of health, nutrition, and social welfare services in Kinondoni Municipality, is part of the government’s broader effort to improve public health service delivery across the country.
Dr. Mfaume also emphasized the importance of reinvesting locally generated funds into service improvements.
He applauded Bunju Health Center for using more than TZS 172 million from its internal revenue to purchase vital medical equipment.
“I want to commend the team at Bunju Health Center for their initiative. This is a great example of how revenue from community contributions can directly improve service delivery,” he stated. “I urge other health centers with strong revenue streams to follow this model.”
In preparation for the rollout of Universal Health Insurance, Dr. Mfaume reminded all public health facilities to prepare for increased demand and ensure readiness to serve insured citizens.
“As we move toward universal health coverage, every facility must be equipped and staffed to provide a broad range of services,” he added.
The government continues to prioritize healthcare infrastructure development, especially in densely populated urban areas like Dar es Salaam, where space constraints and growing populations require adaptive strategies.
