Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Seif Shekalaghe, receives a briefing from Aga Khan University’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Ms Maria Chilipachi Kisanko, during his visit to the university’s booth at the Tanzania Health Summit (THS) in Dar es Salaam, held from October 1 to 3, 2025. Experts say the THS has become a key platform for addressing the country’s health challenges. PHOTO | JACOB MOSENDA
This year’s THS attracted more than 1,500 participants from Tanzania and abroad. Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, October 3, 2025, THS Board Chairperson, Dr Chakou Halfani Tindwa, said the summit has become a key driver of transformation in the health sector.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is developing a new Digital Health Strategy 2025–2030 aimed at equipping health workers with the skills and tools needed to keep pace with rapid technological changes in the health sector.
Opening the 12th Tanzania Health Summit (THS), held from October 1 to 3 in Dar es Salaam, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Seif Shekalaghe, said the upcoming strategy will integrate artificial intelligence, strengthen data privacy, and expand digital literacy among health workers.
“Digital innovation will transform the health sector and help save lives,” Dr Shekalaghe said, linking the summit’s theme—Harnessing Data Utilisation and Technologies to Accelerate Universal Health Coverage—to Tanzania’s goal of ensuring equitable access to healthcare.
He emphasised that data and technology are no longer luxuries in healthcare but essential tools for achieving universal health coverage.
This year’s THS attracted more than 1,500 participants from Tanzania and abroad. Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, October 3, 2025, THS Board Chairperson, Dr Chakou Halfani Tindwa, said the summit has become a key driver of transformation in the health sector.
“We have become a catalyst for technology adoption in hospitals, stronger scientific collaboration, and the implementation of development projects,” he said.
Established during the Kikwete administration and sustained through the Magufuli and Samia Suluhu Hassan governments, the THS has evolved into a national platform for knowledge exchange and innovation in healthcare delivery.
Stakeholder participation has grown sharply—from around 500 attendees in its early years to between 1,500 and 1,700 annually. International engagement has also expanded from 15 delegates at inception to about 300 this year, including 11 ambassadors.
This year’s summit aligns with the government’s wider drive to digitise healthcare systems, positioning technology and data as central to Tanzania’s journey toward universal health coverage.
