Through smart public-private partnerships, the Tanzanian government, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, plans to speed up efforts for improving emergency healthcare services.

Through this program, citizens’ needs will be promptly met and emergency services will be made available with high quality.

Speaking on behalf of Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila, Dar es Salaam Regional Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mohamed Manguna pointed out the government’s commitment to strengthening emergency healthcare systems during the formal closing of the first phase of the Improving Emergency Care in Tanzania (IMECT) project.

According to him, the 1.8 billion dollar IMECT project is a prime example of a cooperation that has brought together the Tanzanian government, foreign partners and local people to improve emergency medical services throughout the nation.

Dr. Manguna acknowledged Aga Khan Health Services Tanzania (AKHST) and the Polish government for their crucial contributions to the project’s execution.

Through the Polish International Assistance Centre (PCPM), Poland has provided US dollars 760, 000 (1.8 billion) to Tanzania’s emergency healthcare infrastructure during the last two and a half years.

He praised the partnership as an important step in filling in the deficiencies in the nation’s healthcare system, such as a lack of facilities, qualified staff and resources.

Dr. Manguna acknowledged the improvements but pointed out that there are still obstacles to overcome before all medical institutions have the infrastructure, employees and resources needed to deliver quality emergency care.

He commended Aga Khan Health Services for their contribution in advancing the public-private partnership model and for their leadership in backing government initiatives to fortify healthcare systems.

A digital revolution has transformed health-care service delivery in Nakuru County, bringing in a new era of efficiency and openness.

Ms Roselyn Mungai, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health Services, highlighted that the divided unit’s administration has implemented cutting-edge digital technologies in all health-care operations in order to leverage technology for better governance.

“From electronic health records to automated appointment scheduling, the county administration is successfully implementing digitised health systems that simplify patient care, record keeping on patients and availability of drug stocks and overall health care management,” highlighted by the county’s CECM.

Ms Mungai, who received computers, accessories and cabling from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Tujenge Jamii programme to support the ongoing digitisation of health service delivery in Nakuru, stated that paperless technology has not only increased medical practitioners efficiency but has also significantly improved patient experience.

“This contribution will enhance Governor Susan Kihika’s administration and commitment to enhance efficiency, improve data management and streamline service delivery across beneficiary health care facilities,” the CECM stated.

The CECM stated that real-time data access enables health professionals to make informed decisions quickly, resulting in more efficient health care delivery in all public hospitals.

She also stated that Nakuru County has started moving to an electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) to support community health promoters’ (CHPs) activities.

She claimed that over 2,000 CHPs will use the devices to help with household registration, patient screening, treatment and referrals, as well as to advocate for primary health practices.

The Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) is a national project started by the Ministry of Health a year ago. It consists of a SmartHealth Mobile Phone application developed on Medic’s Community Health Toolkit platform.

The USAID Country Health Information Systems and Data Use (CHISU) program contributes to Kenya’s digital health transformation by enhancing and strengthening the technology, software and information systems used by the Ministry of Health and all health-care workers to provide more affordable, high-quality services.

This includes teaching healthcare personnel how to gather, analyse, and apply data using standardised, unified systems, allowing them to make data-driven decisions about enhancing patient care.

Ms Mungai realised that the analogue system was costly for the county government, making data susceptible and data might easily be destroyed. According to the official, the digitised method makes data submission simple, traceable and reliable.

With technology, patients at the grassroots level can connect virtually with healthcare providers, avoiding the costs and inconveniences associated with travel while also ensuring that accurate records are retained.

In order to improve speed of response, the county government uses the data gathered by the “Medical Social Work Service Register” system to create policies and take action, such as sending out alerts about illness outbreaks.

The CECM claims that the e-register helps doctors and healthcare administrators to conveniently handle medication, medical billing and appointment scheduling. It also supports the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) register at the national and county levels. It also provides improved rules for insurance and healthcare programs.

Additionally, the Medical Social Work Service Register is an online database that provides sub-county-level statistics on disease burden by region and type. Similarly, there are medical magazine publications that are specialised and contain a wealth of information about different disease loads.

Technology is important for Kenya’s efforts to get universal health care, according to Ms. Mungai.

She stated that “one of the major milestones that will push Kenya and Africa firmly into the future will be technology.”

Residents were assured by Ms. Mungai that the digital health system was created to ensure the privacy and security of their data.

“The primary priority is privacy and we always make sure to follow the regulations set forth by the government, specifically the Data Protection Act. The patient is the main focus and grants permission to anybody who has access to their digital files.” The CECM stated.

Kenya and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Afya House, marking a significant step towards increasing vaccine production capacities. The cooperation intends to support the country’s attempts to achieve vaccine self-sufficiency while also addressing broader public health issues in Africa.

During the ceremony, Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr. Deborah M. Barasa emphasised the importance of this collaboration in realising Africa CDC’s objective of producing 60% of the continent’s vaccines locally by 2040. “This MoU symbolises our shared commitment to building a robust vaccine ecosystem that ensures equitable access for all while enhancing health security in Kenya and beyond,” says Dr Barasa.

Kenya has been chosen to host the IVI Country Office and the Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities (AVEC) Project Office, a significant step forward in the country’s leadership in health innovation and vaccine production throughout the continent.

IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim praised Kenya’s proactive approach, stating that “this partnership represents a bold step forward in advancing global health security through innovative and sustainable vaccine solutions.”

The partnership also builds on Kenya’s vaccine research accomplishments, with institutions such as the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Kenya BioVax Institute playing significant roles in clinical trials, disease surveillance and workforce development.

The meeting was attended by the Ministry of Health’s Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Mr. Harry Kimtai; Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth; Kenya BioVax CEO, Dr. Michael Lusiola and KEMRI Ag DG, Prof. Elijah Songok. This alliance is projected to strengthen Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) strategy by improving vaccination access, encouraging innovation and ensuring resilience in the face of future health emergencies.

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. received medical equipment worth K.sh 40 million from ENI Kenya, the country’s biggest biofuels value chain investor.

Enrico Tavolini, ENI Kenya’s Managing Director, handed over the equipment, which includes a centrifuge and a fridge to support blood unit preservation at the Referral Hospital, neonatal equipment for the Mother and Child Hospital in Wote and nutritional supplements for pregnant women and babies.

Furthermore, ENI has outfitted the maternity wing at Kambi-Mawe Dispensary and is building an ablution block and a bio digester to improve sanitary services at the institution.

During the transfer ceremony, Governor Mutula praised the initiative, stating that it will significantly improve healthcare services at the two facilities.

The agreement is expected to improve healthcare delivery and fit with Governor Mutula’s goal of offering high-quality, easily accessible medical services.

Shelf Life is a revolutionary pharmaceutical inventory management subscription service launched in Abuja in 2017 and has expanded to Kenya. Within that time, through their business model of supplying pharmaceutical products to community-based outlets, it has received widespread acceptance.

The service, provided by social enterprise Field Intelligence, is active in 50 retail locations in Kenya, with over 500 life-saving medicines and essential products being supplied on a pay-as-you-sell basis. In Kenya, there are about 5,840 privately-owned community pharmacies licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, compared to approximately 4,700 government health facilities.

With the concept gaining popularity, Field Intelligence has been seeking to raise funds to expand to more shops both in Kenya and Nigeria. To this front, the company has announced the successful closing of its Series a funding of US$3.6 million equity.

The US$3.6 million equity raise will fund the scale-up of Shelf Life, the technology-enabled supply chain finance platform for pharmacies in Africa. The Series A funding round was led by Blue Haven Initiative-early-stage private equity firm with a focus on energy, fintech, logistics and human capital ventures in Sub Saharan Africa, with a portfolio that includes CrossBoundary Energy, M-KOPA, Paystack, Shortlist and Twiga Foods.

Other investors including Newtown Partners via the Imperial Venture Fund and Accion Venture Lab.

Michael Moreland, Co-Founder, and CEO, Field Intelligence, says, “We’re delighted to welcome new investors into the business. They share our vision for catalyzing change in a huge and vitally-important sector. They bring deep fintech and logistics experience, which will be vital in helping us build a new generation of healthcare supply chains in Africa and beyond.”

Shelf Life’s pharmacy clients can subscribe to over a thousand quality-assured and price-stabilized drugs from 50 medical, health and wellness categories. Using Field Intelligence’s technology platform, Shelf Life forecasts, procures, delivers, manages, and finances each product the pharmacy has subscribed to.

Over 280 community pharmacies in Nigeria and Kenya have now subscribed to Shelf Life, making it one of the largest networks of pharmacies on the continent. It is making the business of community pharmacy less risky and lower-cost while improving access to an expanded selecion of higher-quality medicines.

Since inception, Shelf Life has maintained 96% stock availability for its clients, up from a pre-Shelf Life baseline of 60%. As an alternative to traditional inventory finance, Shelf Life costs pharmacies between 60 and 82% less than traditional loans freeing these small retailers from prohibitively expensive capital.

Advisory support to this transaction was provided by CrossBoundary through USAID’s invest program funded by the USAID Southern and East Africa Regional Missions in support of the US Government’s Prosper Africa initiative.

The annual pharmaceuticals market in Africa is valued at over $60 billion. For 80% of people in Africa, their community pharmacy is the frontline of the health system and yet they routinely stock out of essential medicines, incur significant losses to expiry and struggle with substandard and falsified drugs. These inefficiencies cost the health system millions of dollars each year and limit access to quality care.

According to the company’s research, 60% of community pharmacies frequently stock out of essential medicines and 55% are without access to stable supply and finance.

Lauren Cochran, Managing Director, Blue Haven Initiative says, “Shelf Life is a proven platform to transform access to medicines through Africa’s private community pharmacy market. The design and development have been done on the ground in Nigeria and Kenya and there’s a real experience in the team of what it takes to deliver at scale in African health systems.”

In efforts to promote Kenya as a regional healthcare hub and healthcare investment destination, Amref Health Africa has partnered with Express Communications Limited, publishers of the Kenya Medical Directory, and the Ministry of Health to host a first of its kind healthcare convention.

The first Kenya Healthcare Convention taking place from March 9 and March 10 in Nairobi is set to bring together more than 350 industry providers to showcase their quality health service approaches, products and technologies to potential customers. This forum offers investors an opportunity to advance medical service delivery through Kenya to the East African region.

East Africa boasts a population of over 132 million people, with a projected 5.7% growth in GDP (the highest in the African region), making it a promising investment destination. Kenya is strategically positioned and regarded as a business hub within the East African Community. The country’s growing middle class (about 45% of the total population) has brought about a rise in demand for quality health care.

Drawing on Kenya’s years of experience in developing a robust private sector in health care and other industries, coupled with a clear strategic framework within the public sector aligned to economic growth and advancing social protection through the Big Four Agenda, the Kenya Healthcare Convention will foster important partnerships for the country and the region and stimulating discussions around promoting Kenya for medical tourism.

The two-day convention seeks to highlight achievements from the counties since the devolution of health services and showcase leading companies, institutions and organisations successfully providing services in this industry, drive engagement on the milestones, achievements and challenges in health service delivery and showcase collaborative achievements between government and private sector and how this has helped position Kenya as the health care hub in the region.

“We cannot speak of the right to health without quality care. Quality is a critical dimension of social justice and human rights principles and one of the essential pillars of universal health coverage. The overall quality of care by private and public providers in our health system is what will set Kenya apart as a regional health care destination,” said Dr Meshack Ndirangu, Country Director, Amref Health Africa in Kenya.

“Among other outcomes, the Kenya Healthcare Convention is expected to set in motion the formation of a multi-agency, government-industry partnership to promote Kenya for medical tourism, as well as kick off the process of developing a Medical and Wellness Tourism Policy for Kenya,” said Sammy Masara, CEO Express Communications Limited.

The Ministry of Health will launch two key documents at this inaugural event – the Quality of Care Certification Manual and Quality of Care Certification Framework for the Kenyan Health Sector, marking a key milestone in the nation’s quality improvement efforts.

The inaugural Kenya Healthcare Convention is also expected to catalyse the identification of a range of national government agencies and policy initiatives to stimulate and promote medical tourism in Kenya.

The team visited the health facilities in Gomba, Ssembabule, Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera districts while the health facilities in Nwoya, Buliisa, Kikuube, Hoima, Kakumiro and Mubende districts were previously assessed in May 2019. As part of wider reforms tailored to improving health service delivery in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) corridor, the government is planning a raft of major reforms in the health centres in the districts surrounding the oil region.

According to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Dr Diana Atwine, this will be part of the government’s efforts to revamp the districts health sector and improve efficiency to meet the required standards to benefit all the relevant stakeholders who are going to work in EACOP.

Most of the health facilities will be enhanced with standby ambulances, emergency units, fridges for blood storage as well as re-modeling and refurbishment of some facilities, said Dr Diana.

“Additional equipment will also be provided especially in the operating theatres as well as recruitment of supplementary staff,” Dr Diana continued.

Dr. Joseph Kobusheshe, the Director Environment, Health, Safety and Security Management at PAU said a lot of attention has been given to the development and application of environmental and health management systems as an integral parts of the oil and gas business frameworks.

Dr. Elly Muhumuza, the Chairperson LCV Sembabule district; expressed happiness that the health facilities will be upgraded to international standards, which will be a direct benefit to the local communities.

Prof. Faustin Kamuzora, The Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) has appointed for intensive efforts to ensure that no woman or girl dies from cervical cancer.

He emphasized the importance of screening for early detection of cervical cancer which can be treated and urged parents and guardians not to miss out on the great opportunity of having their children immunized.

He reassured the public that the vaccine was safe and approved by the government and WHO and would be provided free of charge at all health facilities.

Prof Kamuzora, however, noted that to date, the regional vaccination average against cervical cancer was far below the national average set at 80% with the regional average ranging between 53 -64%.

Five screening centers were set up in Bukoba Municipal Council- Buhembe, Kashai, Rwamishenye, Bukoba Referral Regional hospital, and Zamzam.

At the regional level, 64 centers would provide the service. Tanzania achieved a historical milestone to roll out a Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine against cancer of the cervix.

A safe and effective Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine when provided to young girls between 9 and 14 years old, protects them against HPV and cervical cancer.

The Vice-President, Ms. Samia Suluhu Hassan, launched the programme last year and emphasized the importance of screening for early detection of cervical cancer which can be treated.

“The first beneficiaries of this vaccine would be girls aged 14 as we prepare to extend the vaccination to the rest of the girls. In order to get the girls to return for their second dose requires new routine delivery services and a good social deployment strategy,” she said.

The government’s assurance to reach the vaccination target of 616,734 girls, she acknowledged.

She commended the government’s decision to introduce the HPV vaccine in the country aimed at reducing mortality and morbidity caused by cervical cancer.

She congratulated the government for making a high-level decision and commitment towards the reduction of preventable childhood illnesses and deaths.

“This is an important milestone in the history of Tanzania, to join the fight along with other countries in the world to prevent mortality and morbidity due to cervical cancer. To achieve the full benefit of the HPV vaccine, it must be given to all targeted children regardless of where they live or how hard they are to reach.