Health system challenges in Tanzania are impeding the achievement of national development goals and consequently those relating to USAID’s programs on Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), and Family Planning (FP). These challenges include, but are not limited to, the shortage of health care workers, health commodity stock outs, and insufficient financing. If such systems issues are not addressed, USAID’s health programs on will not yield nor sustain desired results. Furthermore, while Tanzania has the potential to achieve ‘middle-income’ country status1, without significant improvements in health care the country faces the risk of overwhelming an already-fragile social service system and eroding future economic gains. 

 

Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) focuses on ensuring that improvements in the health care system are sustained after donor support ends, and that there is institutionalized capacity for ongoing improvement.2 Guided by the United States Government (USG)/Tanzania Global Health Initiative (GHI), host country health policies and the Mission’s first formally integrated HSS team, this HSS Strategy will shape USAID/Tanzania’s HSS portfolio and influence Mission health activities over the next 5 years (2013-2018).