DAILY NEWS Reporter
Daily News; Monday,June 02, 2008 @00:03
# NHIF put to task over bad accounts books
The Parliamentary Committee for Parastatal Organisation (POC) has put the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to task following anomalies found in its 2006/07 accounts. Basing on reports of the External Auditor (TAC Associates) and Controller and Auditor General (CAG), the committee under the Chairmanship of Zitto Kabwe, (CHADEMA -Kigoma North) raised concerns on how the funds were spent in other areas like training, administration, remunerations and allowances, advocacy, printing forms and identity cards and Saba Saba exhibitions.
In 2006/2007 for instance, the budget for Clients and Advocacy meeting expenses was 389,580,996/- in comparison to 92,677,563 the previous financial year. Printing of forms and Identity Cards drained 102,204,780/- in comparison to 52,456,308/- the previous year, key management remunerations fetched 745,044,528/- in comparison to 184,170,367/- the previous year and 155,138,132/- for Saba Saba exhibitions last financial year unlike 96,578,943/- the previous year.
The figures were queried by MPs Peter Serukamba (CCM-Kigoma Urban), Zainabu Zulu (CCM-Special Seat), Dr Raphael Chegeni (Geita), and Diana Chilolo (CCM-Special Seat). Why all these expenses on Identity Cards while there were reports that many people do not possess them in the country ? queried Ms Chilolo, while being supported by Zitto Kabwe who wanted explanations on funds misused during the exhibitions last year.
There is information that 23m/- was swindled during the International Trade Fair last year, would you please give us explanation on that? asked Kabwe. In response, the NHIF Director General, Emmanuel Humba, said the payments were made according to the budget that was prepared and approved by internal auditors, adding that all the allocations had no dubious transactions behind them.
He said all expenditures followed all the stipulated financial procedures. He further said that the funds were paid to match with current challenges facing the organnisations like providing training to staff, adding that the Fund had sent a batch of staff to Korea for training on the countrys Health Insurance system. According to him, the Fund has more than 300,000 members with more than 1.5 million beneficiaries, while the number of staff is limited to 147 only.
The Fund agreed to include circumcision in the list of 999 diseases under the Funds package to help fight HIV-AIDS. The NHIF 2006/2007s accounts were passed by the Committee but with recommendations from the Controller and Auditor Generals office that the Fund should in future avoid discrepancies that were likely to be queried by the parliamentary committees.