A costed road map to strengthen data systems and use

Related program: Advocacy and policy

Example: Tanzania Digital Investment Road Map


A first-of-its-kind achievement in the digital health field, Tanzania’s Digital Health Investment Road Map outlines investment recommendations with the highest potential value and alignment to national priorities.

The need

Novel digital health technologies and platforms have helped drive progress toward better health outcomes throughout many parts of the world. However, at all levels of the health system, the right people still do not have, or are not using, the right data to make informed decisions. Currently, health workers often lack access to the right information, at the right time, and in the right form, which can lead to stock-outs of essential medicines and supplies, uninformed decisions about care, a reactive approach to disease outbreaks, wasteful health care spending, and life-threatening gaps in funding. Additionally, although health programs and service delivery are becoming more integrated, the health information systems that support and inform them remain siloed and dependent on fluctuating external funding.

The Government of Tanzania has made investing in stronger health information systems and data use a priority. Important advances are already underway, but significant investments are needed to finish the work and make this vision a reality.

The policy solution

In 2015, the Government of Tanzania, in partnership with PATH, developed the Digital Health Investment Road Map, a set of 17 digital health investment recommendations that are designed to strengthen data systems and data use to improve health outcomes by enhancing health service delivery; strengthening health system performance; optimizing resource management; improving data supply and demand; and connecting and harmonizing data systems.

PATH worked with the Government of Tanzania to draft and cost activities for each investment recommendation so that they align with existing government strategies and priorities, support and enhance current work (not solely within the health sector), embody the Principles of Digital Development, and pull on the levers of change to strengthen a data use culture.

The process of developing the investment recommendations lasted ten months and included:

  • A literature review of more than 60 government and donor strategies, press reports, and external assessments.
  • Interviews with more than 180 stakeholders from the government, implementing partners, and health teams and facilities at all levels of the health system.
  • Extensive analysis, including systems mapping and prioritization of investment recommendations.
  • Six meetings with a core group of more than 15 government and other stakeholders.

The impact

The digital health investment recommendations allow the Government of Tanzania to be able to make evidence-based choices about how to best allocate health resources. More specifically, it allows the government to improve health services in measurable ways, expand access to health services by focusing on specific geographies and populations, forge effective community partnerships, achieve better returns on health investments, and collaborate with other sectors on cross-cutting health initiatives.

The Road Map also demonstrates the profound impact of dedicated political leadership and robust, consistent stakeholder engagement. It has led to the alignment of donors and partners in support of the data use investment agenda in Tanzania.

Through the use of high-quality, well-managed data to guide health policies and practices, Tanzania will see positive outcomes at every level of the health system and the end result is that Tanzanians will access high-performing health care and enjoy better health.

The Tanzania Digital Health Investment Road Map model is already garnering interest in other geographies. As more countries and communities use this framework, the right data will be in the right hands to make informed health decisions, leading to better outcomes and healthier populations around the world.

Considerations for application

The Tanzania Digital Health Investment Road Map is an adaptable framework designed to be replicated by other countries wishing to improve their digital health systems and data use.

The road map model, although created to outline investment recommendations for digital health, can also be used as a starting point for mapping out investments and creating systematic change beyond digital health.

Policy text

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