Tanzania - Healthcare Tanzania-Healthcare
Tanzania exemplifies the developing world's struggle to achieve 'middle-income' country status while confronting widespread poverty and substantial health challenges-such as persistently high child and maternal mortality, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. Tanzania has made a number of important public health achievements in recent years, including a decline in childhood deaths. Between 2003 and 2012, HIV prevalence fell from 7.0 to 5.1 percent, while the number of patients receiving life-saving HIV treatment has nearly tripled over the last five years. More children are fully immunized and sleep under insecticide-treated nets, and more pregnant women are taking preventive treatment to reduce the consequences of malaria in both the woman and her unborn child.
While Tanzania has made progress in reducing under-five mortality, maternal, newborn, and child health can still be improved. Tanzania must also continue to battle HIV/AIDS and other health issues such as tuberculosis, malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea. These issues are exacerbated by underlying food insecurity and nutritional deficiencies. Tanzania also has some of the lowest coverage rates of health personnel in the world.
In order to improve the quality, availability, and use of preventive and curative health services, U.S. Government-supported programs in Tanzania focus on three interconnected areas: quality integrated services, health systems strengthening, and healthy behaviors. These efforts support the Government of Tanzania’s commitment to improve health and health care services, focusing on increased efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. USAID’s work with the Government of Tanzania includes malaria control, preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission, providing children with nutritional supplements, training health workers, improving maternal health facilities, and scaling up voluntary family planning services.
For 2018/2019 the Ministry of Health has planned to spend $246.2 million as part of its development budget, which will help the government to implement its health improving initiatives. This year’s development projects budget is 29% less than previous year, contribution from development partners has decreased by 59% while local contribution has increased by 12% from previous year.
The government has shown commitment to building new healthcare facilities, but many public healthcare facilities already are understaffed and therefore unable to service patients as required. Inadequate maintenance of infrastructure and equipment acerbates the problem. As shown below, faith-based organizations own and operate 40% of the hospitals in levels 2 to 5 of the national health system. Through service agreements with faith-based hospitals, the government extends public health service provision. Funding of public healthcare at public facilities and faith-based facilities with service agreements is highly dependent on external funding.
The government has called upon investors to establish pharmaceutical factories within the country. Health supplies, commodities and equipment comprise a significant portion of the pharmaceutical domestic development budget. However, firms operating locally will face several challenges such as need for skilled human resources, availability of modern technology and the ability to reach sufficient scale to compete with international suppliers.
Source: https://www.pharmaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-healthcare-system-in-Tanzania.pdf
Healthcare Provision:
Source: https://www.pharmaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-healthcare-system-in-Tanzania.pdf
Sub-Sector Best Prospects
- Establishment of pharmaceutical companies
- Training of healthcare personnel
- Establishment of primary healthcare services
- Supply of lab equipment
- Supply of medicines
- Establishment of diagnostic centers
Opportunities
For specific information on current opportunities please visit the Medical Store Department website.
Web Resources
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children
World Health Organization (WHO)
Medical Stores Department (MSD)
Tanzania Food & Drugs Authority (TFDA)
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