How strengthening health data can help Tanzania save more lives

TANZANIA continues to invest in healthcare infrastructure, expanding access to essential services and improving outcomes in key indicators.

However, one critical pillar remains underdeveloped: The health information system. Despite policy commitments and progress in digitisation, large segments of the country’s healthcare system still rely on fragmented, outdated, or incomplete data.

These data gaps delay interventions, waste resources and cost lives. Efficient, real-time health data systems are not a luxury they are a necessity.

They ensure that medicines, staff and care reach the right places at the right time. Without them, the countryrisks missing early warnings, misallocating resources and failing to respond adequately to public health threats.

According to the Ministry of Health’s 2023 Sector Performance Profile, over 70 per cent of primary healthcare facilities in Tanzania still rely on manual, paper-based reporting. This slows the aggregation, analysis and communication of vital health information especially in rural and underserved areas.

The District Health Information Software (DHIS2) is the main national platform for data collection and reporting. It covers more than 90 per cent of public health facilities, yet the frequency and quality of data uploads remain inconsistent due to infrastructure and staffing limitations.

The Government of Tanzania Hospital Management Information System (GoTHOMIS), which tracks patient records and hospital services, has been rolled out to fewer than 30 per cent of health facilities mostly in urban areas. Dispensaries and health centres, especially in remote regions, are largely excluded.

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In 2023, only 55 per cent of facilities submitted monthly reports to DHIS2 on time, according to the Health Data Collaborative review. Data completeness at the district level stands at just 65 per cent, meaning over a third of reports are missing key information.

Approximately 40 per cent of health facilities lack consistent internet access and 30 per cent suffer from unreliable electricity making it difficult to run digital systems consistently.

Meanwhile, fewer than 50 per cent of healthcare workers involved in data entry have received formal training on digital health platforms or data quality assurance.

These figures reveal systemic weaknesses across Tanzania’s health data value chain from collection and validation to aggregation and use. And when health data is inaccurate, delayed, or missing, the consequences are real and measurable.

According to the Medical Stores Department (MSD) annual report, 11bn/- worth of medicines expired in storage within one year even as peripheral regions reported shortages.

This mismatch stems directly from inadequate real-time inventory data and the lack of integrated digital monitoring systems.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has flagged Tanzania’s disease surveillance reporting as suboptimal. Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) completeness remains below 80 per cent in multiple regions. Early outbreak detection relies on timely and complete reporting.

Without it, diseases spread before mitigation efforts can begin. Ineffective data also leads to inefficient budgeting.

A 2023 report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) identified discrepancies between reported service utilisation and actual facility capacity in several districts.

This led to overfunding some areas while underfunding others simply because of flawed data. Population-based planning, especially for maternal and child health services, is often distorted by outdated census data and weak facility-level reporting.

National immunisation strategies still depend heavily on projections, not dynamic data from clinics. As a result, coverage gaps, cold chain mismanagement and missed outreach opportunities persist.

But there is a pathway forward. Countries that have invested in strong health information systems have seen measurable improvements. Based on international benchmarks and regional experience, Tanzania could achieve the following with a strengthened digital health ecosystem:

• Reduced stockouts: Realtime inventory systems have been shown to reduce medicine stockouts by up to 70 per cent, according to WHO and UNICEF supply chain assessments.