The six wellness centres are located at various points along the Dar es Salaam—Tunduma highway. There are two centres at the Dar es Salaam port whereby others are at Tanangozi and Ilula in Iringa, Songea and Tunduma.
Speaking at the launch of the road wellness centres in the city, the director of Human Resources in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Michael John, said the government was aware of health risks that drivers face and are keen to cooperate with the private sector to ensure better healthcare for the drivers.
John who was representing the ministry’s PS, Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya, said the centres will help in the fight against HIV/Aids which has recorded an increase in recent decades. He said it is only through the public private partnership (PPP) that health services will be improved.
“We encourage other stakeholders to do the same so as to cover other transport corridors and borders within the country,” he said.
For his part, Puma Energy Tanzania general manager Philippe Corsaletti said the programme also gears to reduce the number of road accidents. He said the company in collaboration with the police’s traffic department has been engaging in road safety education programmes for primary school pupils for several years.
He said since its inception, they have been able to reach 28,000 pupils from various schools. He said the target was to provide road safety education to primary school pupils across the country.
Corsaletti noted that drivers deserved to be healthy, strong and well cared for. He said truck drivers were among groups in the community highly exposed to various risks, including health and safety hazards.
“The transport sector will remain safe if drivers are safe and healthy,” he said, noting that road safety was among their top priority.
Meanwhile, head of project John Mochama said the centres will also benefit surrounding local communities on the Dar to Zambia trucking corridor. According to him, running of the centres would be managed by North Star Alliance who have medical expertise.
Other stakeholders include Puma Energy Tanzania Ltd, Impala Terminals, Puma Foundation and Trafigura Foundation.
He said the decision to establish two centres at the Dar es Salaam port was due to the fact that it is busy with a big number of drivers and food vendors. He said the centre outside the port is expected to serve more than 70 people per day.
Mochama said the drivers will have access to treatment of various diseases including malaria, STDs, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids. He said those who will be diagnosed with HIV/Aids will be counseled and referred to Temeke regional hospital while foreigners will be referred to specific hospitals in their country.
“We are determined to offer comprehensive health package to the drivers. We are doing this as part of cooperate social responsibility,” he said.
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