DODOMA, Jan. 23 -- THE first phase of the Universal Health Insurance (UHI) for vulnerable households will officially take off countrywide on January 26 this year, following the approval of the Essential Benefits Package that will be fully financed by the state..

Minister for Health Mohamed Mchengerwa announced the rollout yesterday in Dodoma during a high-level working session with sector leaders reviewing progress in the implementation of the Universal Health Insurance Act.

He said 1,457,602 individuals, equivalent to 276,004 vulnerable households, will be registered in the initial phase and their coverage paid for entirely by the government. The beneficiaries include the elderly, children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities....