Volunteer health workers at Kigoma health center have raised allegations of being mistreated by the top administration of the health facility and have demanded intervention from the local leaders in Ruhango district.

The volunteers say that the administration has denied them of the several privileges which include bonuses and facilitation provided by the ministry of health, and also being undermined by the center administration.

The complaints were raised this December 2012, and the volunteers, who preferred anonymity, said that this trend has affected the services to the health sector.

“We try to provide good services to the community; we see that our efforts are being rendered useless because of the bad leadership at the health center” one of the volunteers stated.

The volunteers alleged that the health center has diverted their facilitation funds for other purposes, failed to pay for the farmland they rented to cultivate food crops and also failing to distribute the mosquito nets meant for volunteers- which were provided by the ministry.

The administrator of Kigoma health center was adamant to comment on the allegations and would not take any questions on the issue. However the district officer in charge of health services, Alodie Mukamunana said that she was not aware of any of the allegations and stated that all health volunteers have received their facilitations.

The government adopted the policy of bringing on board health volunteer workers as a way of promoting health services, mobilization and promotion of health care in the rural communities. Most of the volunteers don’t earn from the service they provide but get minimal appreciations for the government.