Tanzania launches essential health insurance fund for underprivileged citizens

The programme forms part of the wider UHI rollout, which is expected to be launched nationwide by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in the coming days.

The announcement was made on January 23, 2026, during a high-level working meeting in Dodoma convened by the Minister of Health, Mr Mohammed Mchengerwa, and attended by senior government officials.

Participants included Regional Commissioners, Regional Administrative Secretaries, District Commissioners, Regional and District Medical Officers, District Executive Directors and senior officials from the Ministry of Health.

The Essential Health Insurance scheme, administered through the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), provides a comprehensive, mandatory and subsidised health coverage package aimed at ensuring equitable access to essential healthcare services for all citizens.

The launch marks a major step towards strengthening health equity in Tanzania and expanding access to essential medical services for vulnerable groups.

The initiative comes as the country prepares to roll out Universal Health Insurance within the first 100 days of President Hassan’s second term in office.

Mr Mchengerwa announced that implementation of the Essential Health Insurance Services Fund will begin on January 26, 2026, with a focus on underprivileged groups, including the elderly, children, pregnant women and persons with disabilities.

“This initiative will ensure that government resources are directed to those in need through accredited Health Service Delivery Centres that have contractual arrangements with the National Health Insurance Fund,” he said.

The Minister also underscored the need for a unified national digital system to improve efficiency and control costs in health insurance management.

“At present, the health sector operates through multiple fragmented systems. Within three to six months after the launch, we will establish a single end-to-end digital system to streamline service delivery nationwide,” he said.

He further called on local leaders to strengthen collaboration in identifying eligible beneficiaries, noting that Tanzania has approximately 3.9 million households in need, with more than 931,000 already identified, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Ministry of Health reports show that the government has so far disbursed Sh48.8 billion to the NHIF to cover medical expenses for underprivileged citizens.

In the 2025/26 financial year budget estimates, the government allocated approximately Sh201 billion to provide medical services to poor households.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Mr Jafar Seif, described the UHI rollout as a turning point in Tanzania’s health sector.

“Universal Health Insurance represents a major transformation in the health system and strengthens collective responsibility in ensuring access to healthcare for all citizens,” he said.