Private sector engagement takes center stage at 2018 Tanzania Health Summit
The importance of engaging the private sector as a key partner in achieving quality health care for all was at the forefront of discussions at the fifth annual Tanzania Health Summit in Dar es Salaam on November 13-14, 2018.
SHOPS Plus held a panel discussion and disseminated publications on the private health sector at its booth during the two-day event.
Dr. Otilia Gowelle, director of human resources for the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC), shared her thoughts on the importance of the role of the private sector in health service delivery in a keynote speech.
“I trust that all private sector actors will be able to complement government initiatives in the health sector,” said Gowelle. “Also, the ministry of health is ready to work with all stakeholders to carry forward all action plans that will be generated from the Tanzania Health Summit.”
The project enriched the discussions with a panel session that looked at the “Role of the Private Sector in the HIV/AIDS response in Tanzania.” SHOPS Plus chief of party for Tanzania Maureen Ogada-Ndekana and technical specialist Martin Rwechungura moderated the panel, which featured speakers from the North Star Alliance, the Private Nurses and Midwives Association of Tanzania (PRINMAT), the Tanzania Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (TAPI) and Banyan Global, a partner in the SHOPS Plus consortium.
Themes of the panel discussion included the opportunity for a strong private sector supply chain, revising current policies and guidelines to allow a more conducive environment for private sector, manufacturing antiretroviral drugs locally to ensure the sustainability of HIV/AIDS services in the country, and the need for a partnership between corporations and health sector stakeholders to increase the number of people accessing available HIV/AIDS services.
The summit hosted a range of participants, including health professionals, policy makers, researchers, health insurers, equipment and medicine suppliers, and other private sector investors and entrepreneurs. The goal of the annual event is to exchange ideas and best practices across disciplines in order to improve public health and healthcare delivery in the country. This year, the theme was “Tanzania Health Sector Industrialization – Progress, Review, and Unlocking Persisting Challenges.”
Learn more about our work in Tanzania and on public-private engagement.