Tanzania reinstates national health laboratory director who was sacked by former President John Magufuli over Covid-19

Tanzania has reinstated the former director of the National Public Health Laboratory who was sacked by the late President John Magufuli.

Dr Nyambura Moremi a renowned scientist who used to run the state-operated National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), was controversially sacked at the instructions of the former President Magufuli who was denying the existence of Covid-19, the pandemic which massively affected global health sectors between 2019 and 2021.

The NPHL have announced that its former director, Dr Moremi has been reappointed to the position.

The scientist was removed by Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu in May 2020 after Magufuli questioned the accuracy of tests from the national lab that confirmed the presence of the Covid-19 pandemic in Tanzania.

Mwalimu, who is still health minister, appears to have no problem with the latest developments.

Her former boss, John Magufuli vehemently denied the presence of Covid-19 in Tanzania and said his agents had secretly sent samples from animals, fruit and used vehicle oil at the laboratory, which came out positive for the virus.

Magufuli maintained that the false positive test results of samples taken from a papaya, a bird and a goat that were labeled as human samples, proved that the national lab was not credible.

Casting doubt on the credibility of laboratory equipment and scientists at NPHL, Magufuli rejected official data on the pandemic.

The tough head of state ordered an investigation into what he described as a ‘filthy games’ at the government’s main laboratory.

“The equipment or personnel may be compromised and this could be an act of sabotage,” said Magufuli insisting that only prayers and traditional interventions would protect Tanzania from the pandemic.

The Health Ministry said in a statement a day after Magufuli’s remarks that Nyambura and the laboratory’s quality assurance manager had been immediately suspended “to pave way for an investigation.”

Magufuli often publicly declared that his government was fighting an ‘economic war’ with foreign imperialist forces that were determined to sabotage the country’s development.

He would also become suspicious of foreign aid, such as face masks, claiming that they could be deliberately tainted with the Covid-19 virus to import the pandemic into the country.

Apart from rejecting the lab tests, Magufuli also dismissed vaccines, wearing of face masks, data disclosure and social distancing while the world was grappling with the pandemic.

After coming into office in March 2021, President Samia Suluhu Hassan reversed Magufuli’s controversial policies and adopted a scientific approach in dealing with the pandemic,

She rolled out a national vaccination program, wore face masks in public and ordered the Health Ministry to release Covid-19 data.

The actions of President Samia’s government succeeded in controlling the pandemic, saving many lives in Tanzania.

Moremi is one of Tanzania’s most respected clinical microbiologists and infectious disease specialists.

Her reinstatement vindicates her decision to stick to professionalism and resist political pressure under Magufuli’s regime that sought to deny the presence of the Covid-19 pandemic in Tanzania.