Tanzania’s Health Sector Sets 2026/27 Priorities as Digital Transformation and Universal Insurance Take Centre Stage

The 25th Joint Annual Health Sector Review in Dodoma brings together government, development partners, and private actors to address persistent workforce gaps and accelerating NCD burden

Tanzania’s 25th Joint Annual Health Sector Technical Review Meeting convened in Dodoma from 17 to 18 March 2026, gathering government leaders, development partners, non-state actors, and private sector representatives to assess health system performance in 2025 and chart priorities for the 2026/27 financial year.

Held under the theme “Accelerating Achievement of Universal Health Coverage through Transformative Leadership, Accountability and Digital Innovation in Ensuring a Healthy Society,” the meeting was chaired by Prof. Tumaini Nagu, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Health in the Prime Minister’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government.

Digital Progress and Universal Health Insurance Lead the Agenda

Prof. Nagu opened by reaffirming the government’s commitment to expanding access to essential services through the national rollout of Universal Health Insurance, noting parallel gains in infrastructure expansion and digital transformation. A standout figure was the 97.8% installation rate of GoTHOMIS — the government’s health management information system — across public facilities, reflecting the pace of Tanzania’s push to digitise health service delivery.

Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Alex Magesa pointed to concrete improvements in specialised services, primary health care utilisation, sector reporting, and reductions in maternal mortality, while calling for full integration of digital systems to improve data use and operational efficiency.

Workforce Shortages and NCDs Remain Stubborn Challenges

Despite the positive indicators, a consistent thread across all stakeholder contributions was the shortage of human resources for health, particularly at the primary care level. Non-state actors noted that fragmented digital platforms and inconsistent financing for community health workers continue to undermine service delivery in communities, while the private sector stressed that workforce and infrastructure investments must keep pace with the increased demand generated by expanding insurance coverage.

Rising non-communicable diseases were also flagged as a growing pressure on the system, compounded by declining external financing and the urgent need to build sustainable domestic health funding mechanisms.

Development Partners and WHO Back Tanzania’s Reform Trajectory

The Development Partners Group for Health, represented by Chairperson Ms. Melissa McNeil-Barret, reaffirmed support for the Universal Health Insurance rollout and the development of the Health Sector Transformation Plan for 2026 to 2031, while emphasising the need for improved interoperability across digital health platforms.

WHO Representative in Tanzania Dr. Alex Gasasira commended the positive trends across immunisation, reproductive and maternal health, disease surveillance, and digital transformation, underscoring primary health care as the irreplaceable foundation of an equitable health system.

Policy Commitments to Be Finalised Later This Month

Stakeholders reviewed a suite of major sector reports — including the Annual Health Sector Performance Profile, National Health Accounts, and Public Expenditure Review — to develop priority policy recommendations structured around WHO’s six health system building blocks. These recommendations will be reviewed and approved as formal policy commitments for FY 2026/27 at the Joint Annual Health Sector Policy Meeting later in March 2026, co-chaired by the Ministers of Health and PMORALG.

WHO, serving as secretariat to both the government and the Development Partners Group for Health, will continue to provide technical coordination to support effective planning and implementation of the agreed priorities — including their alignment with Tanzania’s broader Vision 2050 development framework.