Tanzania Increases NCD Budget Share from 7 to 24 Percent as NCD Deaths Rise

Tanzania has raised the share of its health budget allocated to non-communicable diseases from 7 percent in 2020 to more than 24 percent in 2024 while expanding access so that 80 percent of the population lives within five kilometres of a health facility, Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa said Wednesday.

Mchengerwa spoke on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the opening of the 3rd International Conference on PEN-Plus Africa 2026 in Dar es Salaam. He said the government has reviewed the Health Sector Strategic Plan V, the National NCD Strategy and the Digital Health Transformation Strategy 2024-2030 to strengthen prevention, early detection and community care.

"A hospital can treat disease, but a strong society must also prevent it," Mchengerwa said. " He added that NCDs accounted for about 39 percent of deaths in Tanzania in 2021, up from less than 25 percent in the 1980s. The minister said the country is shifting from reactive treatment toward systems that detect disease early and deliver care close to home.

World Health Organisation Africa Regional Director Professor Mohamed Janabi told the conference that Africa loses about 1 trillion U.S. dollars each year in productivity because of NCDs. He said prevention can return up to seven dollars for every dollar invested.

The conference, which opened Wednesday, ends Thursday.