The project will include a TZS13.5 billion study to help Tanzania develop the next generation of health technologies, including artificial intelligence and digital pathology. Investments such as this are helping to ensure that Tanzanian hospitals can continue to deliver high quality care by using innovative health technology.
In recent years, however, the application of mobile internet and communication technology has also emerged as one of the major trends which is serving to transform the care provision in Tanzania.
One example is the use of mobile enabled services applications, in what is known as m-health. These services are helping patients to research information online, share their symptoms and identify potential treatment options.
Applications such as these also provide people in rural communities with a means of receiving medical advice without the in-person checkups which used to be required.
For example, m-health has revolutionized healthcare for people living with HIV and tuberculosis in Tanzania. Two mobile services were introduced last year to target at-risk populations, providing customized health information, educational messaging, reminders for patients to take their medications, and prompts for follow-up care.
Meanwhile, m-health services are also helping medical practitioners to register patients, store medical records and issue public health messages over SMS. Notably, telecom operator Tigo provides a mobile birth registration application, helping the government towards their initiative to provide birth certificates for all children. Tigo has now registered over 4.2 million children under the age of five, in the last seven years.
Collectively, these efforts help to drive efficiency and improve the quality of healthcare provision.
While these services continue to have a dramatic impact on peoples’ lives, it is important we remember the role that Tanzania’s telecoms sector has played in facilitating this progress. In recent years, mobile phone operators have helped the roll out of m-health services though the provision of mobile internet and reliable coverage.
In order to ensure that the country is ready for the next generation of m-health service, it is crucial that the telecoms sector is supported in years to come. This will provide mobile operators with the capital to develop infrastructure, update existing systems and train the workforce of tomorrow.
We therefore must prioritise policies that help Tanzania’s telecoms sector and encourage the growth of m-health. This will help foster an environment that fuels sector development.
If effectively implemented, we can go far in sustaining Tanzania’s health and social care system.
Dr Juma Hassan Mfinanga
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
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