The efforts have already delivered results with maternal deaths declining from 556 per 100,000 live births in 2016 to 104 in 2022, thanks to frontline health workers, nurses and doctors in rural areas using mobile devices to improve services for women.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania can accelerate progress towards its healthcare goals, cut maternal and child deaths, and achieve universal health coverage by leveraging technology and data-driven innovations, health experts say.
Digital tools such as mobile phones, tablets, software applications and statistical systems are making healthcare more accessible, affordable and equitable across the country.
The efforts have already delivered results with maternal deaths declining from 556 per 100,000 live births in 2016 to 104 in 2022, thanks to frontline health workers, nurses and doctors in rural areas using mobile devices to improve services for women.
Although this represents significant progress, the figure remains above the global target of 70 per 100,000 live births, highlighting the need for more innovation.
In an interview with Mwananchi newspaper, the president of the Tanzania Health Summit (THS), Dr Omary Chillo, said government, non-governmental organisations, researchers and technology innovators were collaborating to design new solutions.
He explained that these range from SMS reminders for pregnant women on clinic appointments to digital dashboards that help hospitals prevent stock-outs of essential medicines.
According to Dr Chillo, such success stories will be showcased before more than 2,000 health leaders and innovators at the 12th Tanzania Health Summit, to be held from October 1 to 3, 2025, at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC), under the theme of using digital health to save lives and advance universal health coverage.
“A strong example is the use of SMS for maternal health. For instance, the Mama-Bora project in Zanzibar sends advisory messages to expectant mothers, helping many to attend clinics and ensure their children receive vaccinations,” he said.
Another innovation is Tunza Afya, a WhatsApp chatbot that provides friendly advice to over 59,000 new mothers on pregnancy, childcare and warning signs.
“In just the first two months of 2025, hundreds of parents reported that the chatbot helped them detect danger signs in pregnancy and childhood illnesses. These simple tools show how mobile phones can reach mothers anywhere, enhance health knowledge and save lives at low cost,” Dr Chillo noted.
He added that digital tools not only support patients but also strengthen the overall health system. “For example, in pilot areas, health workers used new data dashboards more than 2,500 times in just six months to better plan services, helping clinics anticipate where medicines and staff were most needed,” he said.
In 10 trial clinics, monthly monitoring of medicine stocks cut unnecessary drug surpluses from 35 to 28 percent, reducing shortages and improving financial efficiency.
