The president who made an impromptu visit to the hospital mid-this week to see the Chief Sheikh, Mufti Abubakar Zubery bin Ali admitted at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute witnessed dozens of mothers sleeping on the wet floor.
“The floor was wet with foul water,” he told a crowd of city elders and government officials meeting to congratulate the president on the 100 days mark of his administration.
He said it was not acceptable that mothers were sleeping on a wet floor while the country has all the resources it needs to give them decent hospitalisation.
“I am giving you two days to vacate the premises and subsequently put-up sufficient beds for mothers,” he said, directing the Minister for Health, Ummy Mwalimu who also attended the meeting to look for office space to relocate the officers.
The minister who is also responsible for Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, must according to the president look into alternative space within the Muhimbili complex or else pick available office space in some ministerial installations downtown.
Dr Magufuli who appeared to be disturbed with what he observed at the place, also referred to construction of a four-storey building at the key medical facility that is ongoing since the second phase government of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi.
The structure was supposed to offset shortage of space and increase bed facilities but so far only the ground floor was in use as other floors still lack finishing and furnishing, with the president demanding why the constructor hadn’t been held responsible.
He vowed his government will not let a few people benefit at the expense of others, saying he and his government were committed to work for Tanzanians.
“I am entirely persuaded we shall attain this ambition,” he declared.
At Muhimbili, where he witnessed an offensive situation and talked to mothers who had delivered, promised to seek a solution on the matter.
Meanwhile the president has promised to release Sh2bn to Dar es Salaam region to build more primary schools in the five districts: Kinondoni, Ubungo, Temeke, Ilala and Kigamboni following the large number of new pupils registered this year.
In addition, top government officials would commit Sh100million to help find the resources to implement the free education drive.
Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick issued a statement at the gathering showing that needs of registering all eligible pupils in schools requires resources four times what the government had targeted.
Most schools had been pushed to put pupils on rotation, while others were sitting on the floor, and sometimes gathered under a tree for lack of classrooms.
Majimatitu primary school in Temeke was now home to 5,825 pupils, which technically requires about six fully fledged schools, he pointed out.
“We’re working on to build ten more classrooms to decongest pupils,” he said, noting that regional authorities had managed to raise Sh4.6bn after cutting excessive spending and the money will be channeled to improving education in the region.
Already the city has secured Sh1.813bn from the Treasury for free education, while the president declared that individuals and institutions willing to support the government initiatives are more than welcome to make donations.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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