Tanzania Program Profile

The SHOPS project implemented a two-year technical assistance program in Tanzania funded by the United States Agency for International Development from July 2013 to September 2015. The program had three main objectives: (1) improve the policy environment for private sector provision of HIV and AIDS and other essential health services; (2) increase the availability of information on the current and potential role of the private sector in HIV service provision; and (3) build private health sector capacity to deliver and scale up HIV and other essential health services. SHOPS used a multi-sectoral, participatory approach focused on sustainability and country ownership. This profile presents the goals, components, results, and the following lessons learned:

• Gathering and widely disseminating health information is fundamental for developing informed interventions and partnerships.
• District-level public-private partnership fora can facilitate alliances when supported by a neutral broker.
• The private sector is an important source of health services that can be more effectively leveraged through greater involvement in local planning and funding processes.
• National policies and guidelines that formalize task sharing can lead to rapid increases in service coverage and improved patient outcomes.
• Improving HIV and AIDS patient outcomes at the facility level requires both provider capacity-building efforts and targeted health systems strengthening interventions.