Tanzania
Encompassing such diverse landscapes as the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro and the clove plantations of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania is a vibrant east African country with many untapped resources. However, for Tanzania to reach its social and economic goals it will need to improve its people’s access to health care services.
Tanzania faces several health challenges: 7% of the population is infected with HIV, 11 out of every hundred children die before their fifth birthday and human resources for health are critically low [WHO website, July 2008]. IntraHealth is working with local partners to recruit, retain and effectively utilize health workers, as well as to expand routine counseling and testing for HIV.
Our efforts are:
- Increasing the Ministry of Health's capacity to assess, predict and manage the health workforce
- Assessing human resources for family planning and reproductive health care
- Accelerating recruitment and retention of workers to expand service delivery in underserved areas
- Improving productivity among existing health workers
- Bringing HIV/AIDS counseling and testing services to nearly two million people in the next five years.
IntraHealth is working in Tanzania through two projects: the Capacity Project and the Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling (PITC) Project.
The Capacity Project, along with partner organizations, is responding to Tanzania’s need for increased human resources for health. The Project is working on short-term emergency HRH activities designed to build the MOHSW's capacity to assess, predict and manage the health workforce; accelerate recruitment and retention for expansion of service delivery in underserved areas; and increase productivity levels to more effectively use existing workers.
On Zanzibar, the Project is working with the MOHSW to implement its five-year strategic plan for HRH. Current assistance is focused on strengthening HRH, developing a human resources information system, improving quality of care and designing strategies to increase productivity and retention.
The Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling (PITC) Project is strengthening the country’s capacity to provide HIV testing and counseling, create an enabling environment to support these services and strengthen referral networks. About 32,000 Tanzanians currently receive antiretroviral therapy (ART). By increasing the number of people who know their HIV status, the project hopes to increase the number of people receiving ART. The government of Tanzania aims to provide 400,000 of its citizens living with HIV/AIDS with ART by 2008.
Donor/Project: USAID (Capacity Project), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling Project)
Partners, Capacity Project: the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation, IMA World Health, Management Sciences for Health, Training Resources Group, Inc.
Partners, Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling Project: Tanzania’s National AIDS Control Program/Ministry of Health, Family Health International, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, AIDS Relief, Columbia University/ International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs
Selected health statistics for Tanzania (WHO, accessed July 2008):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 50/51
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 118
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: 7%
Maternal mortality (per 100,000 live births): 578