Stakeholder dissemination workshops, Tanzania 2023

In the course of her research for the Sinergia project and her dissertation on health systems, Doris Osei Afriyie participated in two stakeholder dissemination workshops in Tanzania earlier this year, one of which she helped organize. In the following post, she reports on the two events and reflects on her own research.

Participants from Swiss TPH, Ifakara Health Institute, Ministry of Health, National Health Insurance Fund and President’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Governments (PO-RALG) at the stakeholder workshop in Dodoma Tanzania.

The first stakeholder dissemination workshop took place in Dodoma on April 24, 2023. The meeting was organized by two projects at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), that is African Contributions to Global Health and Research for Development, in close collaboration with the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI). During the meeting, researchers from Swiss TPH and IHI presented findings on qualitative and quantitative studies conducted in different regions in Tanzania from 2019 to 2021 to explore how health systems governance and health financing policies influence equitable access to quality care. The presentations were followed by group discussions involving representatives from various government institutions. A total of 15 representatives, including the National Health Insurance Fund, the Ministry of Health, and the President’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Governments (PO-RALG), participated in the workshop.

The workshop was also an opportunity to validate the results of a system-dynamic qualitative study – an essential step in system dynamics. Stakeholders provided feedback on the mental model maps the researchers have developed.

Doris speaking at the panel discussion, Dodoma Tanzania.

The second stakeholder dissemination workshop I participated in took place in Dar es Salaam on April 27, 2023. This workshop was organized by Health Promotion and System Strengthening Project, funded by the Swiss Development Agency. I was invited as part of a group of researchers to share my research results on health insurance with stakeholders from government institutions, development partners, and other international non-government agencies in Tanzania. I also participated in a panel discussion with other researchers from Ifakara Health Institute and local universities. Researchers presented their findings to inform the establishment of National Health Insurance, a high priority for the government.

These workshops were fruitful, engaging various stakeholders working on my research topic. It gave me a better understanding of how complex developing evidence-based policies are. There is no one fits all solution. As much as Tanzania and Zambia have similar health system challenges, their politics and institutions are unique. Using research findings to guide policies locally feasible is highly crucial.