How digital health systems are bridging care gap in Tanzania

• Digital health is no longer a dream, platforms like Afya-Tek are already delivering faster, cheaper care to hundreds of thousands in Tanzania.
• With $0.24 per patient, digital solutions could save millions of lives. Can the solution be rolled out at scale across Africa?
• From ADDOs to community volunteers, Tanzania’s Afya-Tek proves private-sector tech can transform rural healthcare without breaking the bank.

As healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Tanzania grapple with workforce shortages, rising costs, and uneven access, digital health solutions are emerging as a powerful response. A December 3, 2025 report titled Bridging the Digital Health Gap Through Private Sector Engagement highlights how technology can expand care reach, improve efficiency, and reduce costs—especially in rural and underserved areas.

According to co-author Marilyn Kimeu, “Digital health solutions can help address these challenges, enabling faster, more consistent care, especially for those living far away from hospitals or health centers.” The report estimates that scaling such solutions could cut health system costs in LMICs by up to 15%, depending on implementation and use cases.

Tanzania’s Afya-Tek platform offers a compelling real-world example. This digital tool connects community health volunteers, public health facilities, and private Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDOs), supporting approximately 450 health workers and delivering digitally enabled services to over 375,000 people.

A 2023 study by The Lancet Global Health, involving 30 observations, 191 in-depth interviews, and 26 focus group discussions, found that sick children under five were often taken directly to health facilities, while other community members primarily sought care from ADDOs. Respondents welcomed digital interventions, noting potential to improve treatment-seeking, reduce over-dispensing of medication, minimize duplicate patient registrations, and enhance care coordination.

The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly endorses this direction. It estimates that investing just $0.24 per patient per year in digital health could save more than two million lives from chronic diseases. However, adoption remains limited. “Many health systems lack the infrastructure, capabilities, and financing to sustain digital health at scale,” the WHO notes, calling for greater private-sector engagement.

Globally, private investment in digital health reached $25.1 billion in 2024—a 5.5% increase—yet LMICs like Tanzania lag behind, with less developed digital ecosystems and fewer ICT workers. Trust is another barrier: while people in developed countries are comfortable with government-owned electronic health records, many in LMICs prefer public-sector stewardship of personal health data, even as private players often lead digital health development.

Despite these challenges, the potential is clear. Digital solutions—from electronic health records and telehealth to e-prescribing and facility management platforms—can strengthen care delivery, reduce inefficiencies, and extend services to millions. In Tanzania, initiatives like Afya-Tek show that when public and private actors collaborate, digital health can move from promise to practice, delivering more equitable and sustainable care for those who need it most.

Digital health solutions can bridge healthcare gap in developing countries like Tanzania. Photo/STL 

Digital health solutions in Tanzania

Countries such as Tanzania have developed a national digital health road map that serves to guide capabilities, scale, and financial requirements as well as private sector involvement.

In the National Digital Health Strategy 2019 – 2024, released by the Ministry of Health, Dr. Zainab Chaula, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary acknowledges that; “ Digital technologies potentially play a fundamental role in facilitating timely availability of high-quality health information for provision of better-quality health care services.”

The PS goes on to urge need for digital health solutions to “respond to clients’ needs through user-centred design to ensure responsive, resilient, and inclusive health system.”

She reassures stakeholders that the government is committed to “…improving the application of digital health technologies in order to facilitate attainment of her overall objective of delivering high-quality health services to all citizens.”

As mentioned, in Tanzania, there are already multiple digital health systems across the health sector and the government is committed to “…build on ongoing efforts to ensure that digital health systems are implemented in a well-coordinated and interoperable manner.”

Hat been said, and as the study showed, the public is willing to use digital health solutions but is wary of data sharing especially on private sector led platforms. In this regard, Tanzania’s Minister of Health, Ummy Ally Mwalimu reassures stakeholders that the country strategy will address challenges that affect utilization of digital health solutions, particularly, data sharing and protection.

“Sharing and protection of information and unique identification of clients at all points-of-service in the health system is critical. The government will make sure clients’ information is shared in accordance with acceptable digital health standards that ensure client safety and data security, confidentiality, and privacy,” she said.

Thus, the Digital Health Strategy will greatly improve the health system performance, which will result in improved-quality, sustainable health service delivery and population health outcomes… leading to a healthier nation,” the Minister concludes.

However, the study showed that when it comes to private sector engagement in digital health solutions, financial constraints often discourages private sector participation in new markets like Tanzania.

Researchers advice governments to set out incentives to support private sector participation such as tax breaks, deferred payments, or even take equity stakes in private digital health companies to sustain longer-term partnerships all of which serves to attract private sector investment.

To this end, a good example is Togo in West Africa where the government introduced an innovation tax framework in 2023. The provision gave incentives for start-ups that invest in infrastructure For digital healthcare.

Another way that governments can attract private sector investment is set up of tech hubs where start ups can be natured. These innovation incubation centres offer the much needed bridge to cross capability gaps that early-stage start-ups face all too often.

“Innovation centres help to provide mentorship, technical and regulatory support, structured development programs, and labs for product testing,” comments Hassan Fadhil, a facilitator at DarTech.

In Tanzania, a good example of an incubation tech hub set up by the government is the DarTech which is under the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH.

Governments can also support the development of digital health by engaging funding partners. For example, in Tanzania, you have the Vodafone Foundation which works in collaboration with the government to offer a digital solution for emergency transportation for women and newborns known as m-mama which is now integrated into the country’s ICT system.

Read also: Meeting climate challenge by building resilient health systems in Africa