The Government, Parastatal Organization, voluntary organization, Religions Organization, Private Practitioners and Traditional Medicine, provides health Services in Tanzania.

The referral System (structure) starts from the community level (village) up to the treatment abroad. The following pyramid, shows Health Service System (Structure) in Tanzania

For a period of almost thirty years, health services delivery has been largely a prerogative of the state, only a limited number of private-for-profit health services were provided in major towns of the country. After independence, health care facilities were re-directed towards rural areas and free medical health services were introduced except for Grade I and II.

In 1977 private health services for profit was banned under the Private Hospitals (Regulation) Act and the practice of medicine and dentistry prohibited as a commercial service. This Act had negative implications on health services in the country.

However, after a series of major economic and social changes, the Government adopted a different approach to the role of private sector. New policies were developed that looked favorably on the role of the private sector. The importance of the private sector in health care delivery was further recognized with an amendment to the Private Hospitals (Regulatory) Act, 1977 which resulted into the establishment of the Private Hospitals (Regulation) (Amendment) Act, 1991. following this act, individual qualified medical practitioners and dentists could now manage private – hospitals, with the approval of the Ministry of Health.

http://www.tanzania.go.tz/ministriesf.html (updated 2009) (accessed on 20.06.2011)

Validated 2011