Health expertise performs a pivotal position in enhancing healthcare methods and enhancing total high quality of care. However, many sub-Saharan African international locations, together with Tanzania, have confronted challenges in successfully managing healthcare expertise resulting from weak or absent formal Health Technology Management (HTM) constructions.

This article explores the transformative journey of the Health Promotion and System Strengthening (HPSS) venture in Tanzania, highlighting progressive approaches and outcomes in strengthening HTM.

Launched in 2011, the HPSS venture aimed to strengthen Tanzania’s healthcare system via an built-in method. HTM emerged as a core element of this endeavour, alongside well being financing, medication administration, and well being promotion.

The venture, which is applied by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and funded by the Swiss Government, has been instrumental in reintroducing and reshaping the HTM within the well being care panorama in Tanzania.

 “Before the launch of the project, Tanzania faced significant HTM challenges”, mentioned Ally Kebby, HPSS Project Manager.

“Infrastructure and equipment management systems were lacking in efficiency and systematic planning. The absence of technical and managerial skills at various health system levels hindered documentation, planning, and budgeting for equipment maintenance”, he mentioned.

Furthermore, the scarcity of educated technical employees, together with biomedical engineers and technicians, added to the complexity of the state of affairs.

The upkeep of medical tools was primarily the duty of well being services with no requisite technical knowhow, resulting in suboptimal administration, insufficient repairs, and a scarcity of a complete stock.

In an effort to assist the Government of Tanzania in strengthening the administration of well being expertise, the HPSS venture developed progressive options and first examined them within the Dodoma Region, specializing in 4 elementary rules.

 “The principles included the alignment with Tanzanian Health Care Technical Services policy, utilization of all available maintenance resources, integration of infrastructure and medical equipment maintenance and adaptability, scalability, and sustainability”, mentioned Manfred Stoermer, HPSS Project Director.

Key interventions included conducting a listing of infrastructure and medical tools, filling the gaps in coaching of technicians by introducing modular coaching packages, establishing upkeep infrastructure reminiscent of workshops, and fostering coverage dialogue and inter-sectoral cooperation.

Capacity constructing initiatives had been applied for well being system managers, directors, Medical Officer answerable for public well being services and technicians, which included coaching in planning and budgeting. Maintenance workshops had been established in regional and district hospitals and geared up with high quality instruments.

In order to tell the federal government on scaling out HTM throughout the nation a price evaluation was carried out which revealed that the common annual value of initiating a totally purposeful HTM element inside a district was cheap. Cost financial savings had been demonstrated via restore companies, emphasizing the monetary advantages of a strong upkeep system.

The outcomes of this costing examine point out that at a mean annual value of TZS 50 Million a full-functioning HTM element will be initiated inside a district. The workshop can serve all well being services inside a district via the district technicians visiting the decrease degree services for preventive upkeep and offering hands-on coaching to well being employees to detect any issues early and convey the tools to the district workshops for upkeep.

The value could lower to TZS 34 Million in a setting the place sensitization of the HTM intervention has already taken place each on the regional and nationwide ranges and subsequently conferences and associated prices will be subtracted.

The prices can be additional diminished to about TZS 26 Million in a district the place as a result of established coaching of graduate well being expertise engineers, technicians and artisans the price of intermediate short-term coaching will be subtracted.

Despite these achievements, challenges reminiscent of incomplete knowledge entry within the digital stock administration system, useful resource allocation difficulties, and limitations in personnel recruitment and coaching persevered. The approval of coverage pointers is on-going inside the MoH and can additional assist HTM sustainability.

The nationwide implementation of HTM improvements gained momentum, that includes important milestones reminiscent of the event and deployment of the National Calibration and Training Centre, and the institution of upkeep workshops in numerous areas.

Additionally, the introduction of coaching packages in biomedical engineering led to elevated availability of biomedical engineers and technicians who had been later employed by the federal government and deployed to totally different well being services thereby enhancing the human useful resource capability.

The nationwide digital stock administration system (MEIMIS) was developed and deployed throughout the nation by the MoH with assist from the HPSS venture.

This system streamlined the administration of medical units, spare components, and consumables. The venture additionally supported the institution of 9 medical tools upkeep services at district and regional ranges, facilitating upkeep and restore of kit. With this infrastructure now in place a complete tools cycle mannequin is being applied.

The venture additionally performed a pivotal position in establishing the National Calibration and Training Centre situated in Dodoma. In phrases of human assets, HPSS developed and accredited a nationwide technical coaching programme on the Mvumi Institute of Health Science with a capability of coaching 100 artisans to biomedical technicians in a given tutorial 12 months.

While the primary batch of scholars are anticipated to graduate in 2023, the course is being elevated to offer Diploma Courses in Biomedical Engineering from the 2024 tutorial 12 months onwards.

Notably, the venture achieved value financial savings by prioritizing the restore of biomedical tools over substitute, demonstrating its dedication to effectivity and sustainability in healthcare expertise administration.

Lessons learnt via this built-in method are that overcoming challenges at each the technical and political ranges and enhancing coordination capability are important for profitable implementation and sustainability.

The final success of the HTM element hinges on elevated authorities dedication on the coverage and funding ranges, guaranteeing a more healthy and extra environment friendly healthcare system for Tanzania.

The Swiss TPH / HPSS venture is phasing out this 12 months after rendering assist to the Government of Tanzania for the final 12 years, abandoning a legacy of efficiently enhancing the well being expertise administration system in Tanzania.