Aziz Swalehe, Songambele Hospital Administrator, wrote the following article recognizing Somgambele's continued effort to maintain a state-of-the-art facility in partnership with Tanzanian regulations. Thank you, Aziz!

Quality and Safety First

Songambele, like US health facilities are inspected to assure there is administration and health quality control. In Tanzania, inspections are done by the Ministry of Health (Government of Tanzania).These Inspections include daily work plan commitments, environmental issues, staffing performance, guidelines, rules and regulation implementation and staffing challenges.

Under the government inspections are through CHMT- Council Health Management Team that deals with management of health at district level. It is responsible for coordinating preventive, curative, rehabilitative, supervision and promotes health activities.

They ensure that health and social welfare interventions are conducted within the overall framework of national policies, guidelines, set standard and within the context of the health sector.

Also under the government there is RHMT-Regional Health Management Team, deals with management of the health services in the region, that is responsible to the centre like Songambele for coordinating preventive, curative, rehabilitative, supervision and promotes health activities.

For a centre like Songambele, they ensure that health and social welfare intervention are conducted within the framework of national policies.

The facility is participating in a stepwise safe care quality improvement program to provide safe and quality care to patients.

The inspection is done quarterly and when necessary.

Gap or deficiencies identify are corrected through the work plan to be implemented or activities and to whom is responsible person to follow up within a time frame, if include budget or not , and at the end gives progress of activities and the way forward.

After inspection, under Ministry of Health, they provide Health Facilities Star Rating Certificate, and this is according to quality standards for health services provision in Tanzania. Songambele rates as one of the overall highest rated health facilities in Bariadi district. In many categories Songambele rates the highest in the Bariadi district. Through this rating the government implements the slogan BIG RESULT NOW.

-Aziz Swalehe, Songambele Hospital Administrator