Dodoma. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and NMB Bank have commenced strategic consultations to deepen institutional collaboration in support of universal health insurance coverage in Tanzania.
The talks, held in the capital on July 16, brought together NHIF’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Irene Isaka, and senior NMB officials led by Mr William Makoresho, the Head of Banking Services for Government Institutions.
Discussions centred on exploring avenues through which the two institutions could align their efforts to increase access to health insurance, particularly among vulnerable groups such as farmers, fishermen and pastoralists.
Dr Isaka highlighted NHIF’s ongoing implementation of the Health Insurance for All scheme, noting the Fund’s commitment to ensuring equitable healthcare access across the country.
She said the initiative was part of the broader national agenda to attain universal health coverage.
Mr Makoresho, on his part, expressed NMB’s readiness to support the rollout of the insurance scheme through provision of tailored loan products to informal sector groups.
The proposed loans would enable community members to meet their health insurance premium obligations, thereby guaranteeing reliable access to medical services under NHIF.
To move the engagement forward, the two institutions agreed to form a joint technical team tasked with developing a framework for implementation.
The team’s proposals will be reviewed by the respective managements of NHIF and NMB.
Present at the meeting were NHIF’s Director of Finance, Ms Grace Temba, alongside Mr Charles Gibure, Senior Manager of Banking Services for Government Institutions at NMB, and Mr Festo Mwakasendo, the bank’s Manager for Institutional Banking Relations.
