Health services in Tanzania still poor, report says
By Henry Neondo
The first-of-its kind study chronicles the triumphs and troubles of entrepreneurs, institutes and firms in Africa creating innovative, affordable technologies that bring hope to many sufferers of local diseases. While some have yet to succeed, several organizations cleared major hurdles to finance and create products, some of which may expand into global markets one day.
It is the first research offering a broad range of evidence and concrete examples of African innovation to address local health concerns.
According to the papers, Tanzania, touted to be one of Africa's biggest aid recipients, has some of the leading health research on the continent, with strong donor support, such as the University of Dar es Salaam, Muhimbili University of Health and Applied Sciences and the Ifakara Medical Institute. They are all involved with international projects on infectious diseases, though none with substantial technological spin-offs.
That notwithstanding, the experts; Ronak Shah, Abdallah S. Daar and Peter A., all who contributed to the paper say the public sector still drives Tanzania's science and technology innovation agenda.
The papers draw on the experiences of authorities, researchers and entrepreneurs in Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
In addition to efforts involving health products, the experiences of health venture capital funds in African and other developed countries are profiled.
The papers were produced by Canada's McLaughlin-Rotman Center for Global
Health (MRC), at the University Health Network and University of Toronto,
and published as a special supplement in the UK-based open-access journal
publisher BioMed Central. Perhaps more than the other countries studied, Tanzania – politically socialist until recently - has found developing an entrepreneurial culture difficult.
Nevertheless, one private generics company has developed a South-South collaboration to enable technology transfer and local production of anti-retrovirals. To achieve greater innovation in general and for health in particular, the authors urge the government to coordinate different stakeholders involved with health research, increase graduates in health-related disciplines, and build technological capabilities in such areas as biological testing, preclinical testing, formulation and standardization - the absence of
which hinders the transition from basic research to product development.
At a December, 2007 national life sciences workshop in Dar es Salaam, co-hosted by the McLaughlin Rotman Center, local stakeholders – including government, private sector, and research community representatives - strongly supported the need to increase knowledge flow and other recommendations.
The group also formed a local steering committee to plan development of a life sciences innovation centre. Since then, the local steering committee, MRC and partners have developed business and operational plans, land has been obtained, and next steps are being considered by the Tanzanian cabinet.
The proposed centre would offer tenant space and serve as a business incubator and collaboration office. It will network with research institutions across Tanzania and operate a specialized seed fund to support promising, pre-commercial ideas.
Other recommended reforms include encouraging the private sector to move towards
innovation through improved access to financing, and incentives for R&D.
“And a mechanism to bring the public and private sector together around
specific projects could help unblock some of the country's innovative
potential”, say the experts.