Isles number of specialist doctors quadruples

 By Our Reporter

Zanzibar has registered 57 local specialist doctors in 2019 from seven in 2015, a new report ‘Zanzibar in Figure 2019’ has revealed.

Medical specialists constituted 18.7 percent of the number of active and retained medics in 2019 where 304 doctors were registered while the number of assistant medical officers has also grown from 83 in 2015 to 52 last year.

According to the report, the number of dentists have increased at an average rate of 29 percent from 54 in 2015 to 76 in 2019 while there is a tremendous achievement in the nursing specialization where 1,385 nurses were registered compared to 1,089 recorded in 2015.

There is also an increase in laboratory technicians from 316 in 2015 to 391 last year while the number of pharmacists also grew from 208 in the past four years ago to 313 last year.

However, the report shows that there is a significant shortage of anesthesiologists in which until last year there were only 22 professionals in this field.

There has been an increase in physiotherapists where the number has increased from 13 to 27 in 2019.

The report also recorded an increase in the number of public health personnel from 2,428 in 2015 to 3,265 equivalent to an increase of 25.6 percent.

The increase in specialist doctors has reduced the problem of medical support by an average of 9.7 percent from 79 doctors in 2016 to 72 in 2019.

When tabling his ministry budget, Minister of Health, Hamad Rashid Mohammed, said despite the positive results, the health sector faced various challenges that to some extent affected the implementation of some planned activities including lack of health professionals.

Commenting on the achievements, some community members though commended the government efforts for strengthening the

health sector, said there is still a challenge to access timely treatment in health care facilities.

Ridhiwani Mussa of Kijitoupele at Unguja West ‘B’ District told Zanzibar Mail that, the services provided in primary health care facilities are still inadequate so there is an urgent need for the government to strengthen the sector by hiring more professionals.

Fatma Yussuf said that there is tangible success in the health sector in the last five years compared to the same period from 2011 to 2014, where health services centers have been moved closer to the community.

According to the report, in 2019, 25 doctors graduated at the Zanzibar State University of Zanzibar (SUZA).

Currently, one doctor serves 6,435 people (1: 6435) compared to 23,000 people (1: 23,000) per doctor in 1997.

The current national ratio is that one doctor serves 6,435 people compared to one medic per 23,000 people recorded in 1997.