Where do public health goals fit into an agenda focused on trade and investment, and what message have health ministers brought with them to the first ever gathering of African heads of state in the United States?
Devex caught up with Tanzanian Minister of Health and Social Welfare Tanzania Dr. Seif Seleman Rashid on the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to learn how the high-level rhetoric around a new narrative of partnership with the continent means for a ministry that still relies heavily on foreign aid programs and assistance.
Rashid shared his views on emerging health sectors where investment and innovation are the words of the day, discussed recent agreements with the U.S. Agency for International Development to upgrade Tanzania’s electronic health management systems, and talked about his own ambitions to leave behind a more “independent” national health system.