Tanzania President fires Deputy Health Minister

By Osoro Nyawangah, Chato TANZANIA

President of Tanzania, John Magufuli, has once more made changes in the Ministry of Health leadership by sacking Deputy Minister for Health, Dr. Faustine Ndugulile (pictured), appointing, Godwin Mollel as his replacement.

 

Ndugulile’s sacking comes as a surprise to many and follows other changes at the ministry a fortnight ago.

Ndugulile, who is a Member of Parliament for Kigamboni is 51 years old.

He is a microbiologist and public health advocate, and has served in the ministry for about three years assuming the post in 2017 when President Magufuli reshuffled his cabinet.

This is the second shake-up within weeks at the ministry following the transfer of Permanent Secretary, Dr. Zainab Chaula to the communications docket and the retiring of Chief Medical Officer, Mohamed Bakari.

In the shake-up, President Magufuli picked Professor Mabula Mchembe as the new Permanent Secretary at the ministry while Professor Abel Makubi was named the new Chief Medical Officer.

Mchembe was previously the medical adviser at State House, while Makubi was heading Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza.

The changes have come at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is ravaging the country with all eyes trained on the Health ministry.

Directorate of Presidential Communications said in a statement issued yesterday that the new Health deputy minister begins his appointment on May 16 without giving reason for change.

Ndugulile is on record having different views on use of home-made (clothes) face-masks following President's call for citizens to make own masks as the imported ones might be contaminated.

He again warned against inhaling steam as means of curing COVID-19; President Magufuli urged use of steam boiled at 100°C to fight the coronavirus.

The government of Tanzania stopped provision of coronavirus cases data since April 29.

According to government records of April 29 this year, 509 people in Tanzania have so far contracted the virus, 183 recovered and 21 have died. But the official numbers, which were provided in increasingly rare updates, were being regarded with great suspicion.

Several opposition leaders and activists in recent weeks have accused the government of failing to inform the public on the extent of the disease's outbreak and covering up the true number of fatalities.

The incoming deputy minister, who is the MP for Siha Constituency, holds a degree in medicine while the Minister, Ummy Mwalimu, is a lawyer by profession and has been in the ministry since 2015.

The change came immediately after the Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the closure of borders with Tanzania and Somalia as cross-border Covid-19 infections continued to rise.

Kenyatta said the closure of the borders was necessitated by an increase in the number of “imported” coronavirus cases.

The restrictions exempt cargo trucks, however, their drivers must undergo compulsory Covid-19 tests. - Africa