Tanzania

Increasing Health Worker Capacity Through Distance Learning: a Comprehensive Review of Programmes in Tanzania

This study reviewed and assessed the Tanzania’s current distance learning programs for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. [adapted from abstract]

Connecting Medical Specialists in Rural Hospitals: Lessons Learned from the Telemedicine Project in Tanzania

This brief outlines a project conceived to tap the potential of telemedicine in Tanzania and to develop the relevant technology and practices. The project aimed to reduce the strain caused by a shortage of qualified personnel, contribute to training and continuous professional development; improve the quality of health services in rural areas; contribute to the establishment of a referral system; and be cost-effective.

Assessment of the Pharmaceutical Human Resources in Tanzania and the Strategic Framework

Lack of comprehensive data on personnel in the pharmaceutical sector is a gap in national human resource for health policies in most developing countries. This study was undertaken in order to determine the total workforce providing pharmaceutical services in both the public and private sectors in Tanzania. [from summary]

Healthy Images of Manhood: a Male Engagement Approach for Workplaces and Community Programs Integrating Gender, Family Planning and HIV/AIDS

This paper describes a project that has implemented an integrated male engagement program to address gender and family planning/reproductive health in a workplace HIV/AIDS Program. [from author]

Effectiveness of Community Based Safe Motherhood Promoters in Improving the Utilization of Obstetric Care: the Case of Mtwara Rural District in Tanzania

Ensuring skilled attendant at birth is acknowledged as one of the most effective interventions to reduce maternal deaths. Exploring the potential of community-based interventions in increasing the utilization of obstetric care, the study aimed at developing, testing and assesses a community-based safe motherhood intervention in Mtwara rural District of Tanzania. [from abstract]

High ANC Coverage and Low Skilled Attendance in a Rural Tanzanian District: a Case for Implementing a Birth Plan Intervention

This study contends that increasing coverage of skilled delivery care and achieving the full implementation of Tanzania’s Focused Antenatal Care Package in Ngorongoro depends upon improved training and monitoring of health care providers, and greater family participation in antenatal care visits. [adapted from abstract]

Challenges Facing the Tanzanian Health Workforce in the Era of HIV/AIDS

The need for documenting how the AIDS epidemic is affecting the health care personnel has long been recognized. In the specific case of Tanzania which already has a Health Sector HIV/AIDS Strategy it is imperative to have information on how the health system and the health personnel who are expected to spearhead the implementation of that strategy are being affected. This can guide preventive and remedial measures to ensure that the capacity of the system and its personnel for the effective implementation of the Strategy is not unduly compromised. [from author]

Wrong Schools or Wrong Students? The Potential Role of Medical Education in Regional Imbalances of the Health Workforce in the United Republic of Tanzania

This paper reviews available research evidence that links medical students’ characteristics with human resource imbalances and the contribution of medical schools in perpetuating an inequitable distribution of the health workforce. [from abstract]

Human Resource and Funding Constraints for Essential Surgery in District Hospitals in Africa: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey

While constrained health budgets and health worker shortages have been blamed for the low rates of surgery, there has been little empirical data on the providers of surgery and cost of surgical services in Africa. This study described the range of providers of surgical care and anesthesia and estimated the resources dedicated to surgery at district hospitals in three African countries. [from abstract]

Action Now on the Tanzanian Health Worker Crisis: Expanding Health Worker Training the Twiga Initiative

Recognizing the need to focus on health worker supply in order to achieve progress on health indicators, the Ministry of Health in Tanzania developed the Twiga Initiative to strengthen health workforce production through. This document outlines the steps taken to improve health worker training and institutions and the challenges involved. [adapted from author]

Predicting Intention to Treat HIV-Infected Patients among Tanzanian and Sudanese Medical and Dental Students Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour: a Cross Sectional Study

The HIV epidemic poses significant challenges to the low income countries in sub Saharan Africa, affecting the attrition rate among health care workers, their level of motivation, and absenteeism from work. This study aimed to predict the intention to provide surgical treatment to HIV infected patients among medical- and dental students in Tanzania and Sudan using an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. [from abstract]

Who Are Health Managers? Case Studies from Three African Countries

This report outlines a rapid descriptive assessment to gain an initial understanding of the management workforce for service delivery in Ethipia, Ghana and Tanzania and to test selected criteria for assessing managers as part of the health workforce. [adapted from summary]

Competency Gaps in Human Resource Management in the Health Sector: An Exploratory Study of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

This study was designed to document the role and experience of health professionals with significant responsibility for human resource management (HRM); identify the challenges that these health professionals face; identify additional skills and knowledge needed by these health professionals to address HRM challenges; solicit recommendations for changes in pre-service and in-service HRM training. [from summary]

Joint External Evaluation of the Health Sector in Tanzania: Draft Report

This evaluation focused on the relevance of the health sector strategic and implementation plans to the achievement of the the MDGs in health; the extent of progress and achievements in the health sector reform process; achievements in improving acces, service quality and health outcomes; and changes in partnership activities. Section 8 examines how effectively the health sector has dealt with important issues in HRH during the evaluation period. [adapted from author]

Placing Learning Needs in Context: Distance Learning for Clinical Officers in Tanzania

Poor public health indicators in Tanzania have led to the upgrading of nursing and clinical personnel who currently have just core training. This article reports on a project to assist the upgrade of clinical officers working around sexually transmissible infections within the context of healthcare, education and policy developments in Tanzania. [adapted from abstract]

Expanding Comprehensive Postabortion Care to Primary Health Facilities in Geita District, Tanzania

A postabortion care program was implemented in 11 primary and secondary health facilities in rural Tanzania in order to decentralize comprehensive postabortion care to community level by upgrading midlevel providers to perform manual vacuum aspiration. [from abstract]

Staffing Needs for Quality Perinatal Care in Tanzania

In Tanzania maternal and perinatal mortalities and morbidities are problems of public health importance, and have been linked to the shortage of skilled staff. We quantified the available workforce and the required nursing staff for perinatal care in 16 health institutions in Dar es Salaam. [from abstract]

Human Resources-Geographical Information Systems Data Development and Systems Implementation for the Christian Social Services Commission of Tanzania: Final Report

Current estimates indicate that between 30% and 70% of health care services in Africa are operated by faith-based organizations. However, these resources are not effectively integrated into national health information systems. While most partners providing health care in sub-Saharan Africa agree that FBOs play an important role in providing health services, there are few comprehensive data about the scope and scale of their contribution. This document details a project to collect facility location and personnel information to support the mapping and database development processes.

Addressing Gaps in Surgical Skills Training by Means of Low-Cost Simulation at Muhimbili University in Tanzania

The shortages of teaching faculty and insufficient learning resources have hampered the traditionally intensive surgical training apprenticeships. To address this, Muhimbili University attempted to enhance technical skills in general surgery and emergency procedures for senior medical students by implementing a surgical skills practicum using locally developed simulation models. This article evaluates the effectiveness of the program. [adpated from abstract]

Impact of HIV/AIDS on Human Resources for Health in Tanzania

This study sought to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on the human resources in the health sector in Tanzania, to provide up to date and specific data on the needs and the supply of human resources in the health sector, and to inform the formulation of strategies for strengthening human resources in the health sector. [from summary]

Human Resources for Health: Requirements and Availability in the Context of Scaling-Up Priority Interventions in Low-Income Countries - Case studies from Tanzania and Chad

The purpose of this study was to explore the role and importance of human resources for the scaling up of health services in low income countries. In two case studies [of Chad and Tanzania], we investigated the size, composition and structure of the current health work force; produced estimates of future human resource availability; estimated the quantity of human resources required significantly to scale up priority interventions towards 2015; and compared human resource availability and human resource requirements. [from introduction]

Conflicting Priorities: Evaluation of an Intervention to Improve Nurse-Parent Relationships on a Tanzanian Pediatric Ward

This article provides an evaluation of an intervention using the Health Workers for Change initiative for improving the relationship between nurses and parents on a pediatric ward in a busy regional hospital in Tanzania. [adapted from abstract]

Understanding Informal Payments in Health Care: Motivation of Health Workers in Tanzania

There is growing evidence that informal payments for health care are fairly common in many low- and middle-income countries. Informal payments are reported to have a negative consequence on equity and quality of care; it has been suggested, however, that they may contribute to health worker motivation and retention. This study suggests that the practice of informal payments contributes to the general demotivation of health workers and negatively affects access to health care services and quality of the health system. [adapted from abstract]

Challenges of Sustainability of Health Information Systems in Developing Countries: Comparative Case Studies of Mozambique and Tanzania

Given that IT projects may take a long time to be fully institutionalized, sufficient resources are required to build the local capacity to support and sustain the project after the withdrawal of donors. Inadequate donor support often contributes to weakening rather than strengthening human resource capacity and effective system design, since it emphasizes the technology itself at the expense of the needs of the users. These factors contribute to the design and implemntation of unsustainable health information systems in developing countries. [from abstract]

Cross-Country Review of Strategies of the German Development Cooperation to Strengthen Human Resources

Recent years have seen growing awareness of the importance of human resources for health in health systems and with it an intensifying of the international and national policies in place to steer a response. This paper looks at how governments and donors in five countries: Cameroon, Indonesia, Malawi, Rwanda and Tanzania, have translated such policies into action. [from abstract]

Evaluation of Uptake and Attitude to Voluntary Counseling and Testing among Health Care Professional Students in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is a cornerstone for successful implementation of prevention, care and support services among HIV negative and positive individuals. VCT is also perceived to be an effective strategy in risk reduction among sexually active young people. This study aimed to assess the acceptability of VCT and its actual uptake among young health care professional students. [adapted from abstract]

Decentralization - Centralization Dilemma: Recruitment and Distribution of Health Workers in Remote Districts of Tanzania

This study highlights the experiences and challenges associated with decentralisation and the partial re-centralisation in relation to the recruitment and distribution of health workers. [from abstract]

Implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness in Tanzania: Success and Challenges

Tanzania is implementing the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), developed by the WHO and UNICEF to improve the management of child health at the primary care level in order to reduce child mortality in low and middle income countries. Workers in health facilities are trained in a structured IMCI case management course. IMCI also advocates the strengthening of the health system to facilitate practice of the skills acquired by health workers, as well as calling for improvement of household and community practices related to child health. [from executive summary]

Measuring Inequalities in the Distribution of Health Workers: the Case of Tanzania

The overall human resource shortages and the distributional inequalities in the health workforce in many developing countries are well acknowledged. However, little has been done to measure the degree of inequality systematically. This paper describes and measures health worker distributional inequalities in Tanzania on a per capita basis; and it suggests and applies additional health care needs indicators in the measurement of distributional inequalities. [adapted from abstract]