Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Zanzibar Ministry of Health has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the health sector by ensuring national priorities align with the World Health Organisation (WHO) workplan.
The goal is to enhance efficiency in implementing joint programmes between the government and the global health agency.
Speaking during a coordination meeting between the Ministry and WHO to review Zanzibar’s health priorities, Acting WHO Representative in Zanzibar, Dr Nemes Iriya, said the organisation’s workplans are developed in close cooperation with member states to ensure they reflect national priorities.
During the meeting, stakeholders reviewed WHO’s global plan and assessed its alignment with priority areas set by the Zanzibar government. They examined how international standards can be adapted to Zanzibar’s context for effective integration into joint implementation strategies.
It was observed that some global indicators differ from those used nationally, prompting calls for harmonisation to ensure consistency with the Ministry’s strategic direction and government guidelines.
Following the discussions, Zanzibar and WHO agreed to continue close coordination to align key indicators and advance shared health development goals.
The updated plan is expected to enhance the quality of health services for citizens and strengthen the government’s capacity to meet international health development standards.
Director of Policy, Planning and Research in the Ministry of Health, Abdul Latif Khatib Haji, said the meeting sought to review reports from various units and programmes and set robust strategies to improve service delivery.
He added that the Ministry plans to develop a two-year Medium-Term Strategic Plan (July 2026–2028) outlining priority areas aimed at boosting efficiency, improving infrastructure and strengthening health services.
Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, Dr Omar Mohammed, said stakeholders underscored current priorities such as NCDs and maternal and child health services, which require collective action particularly in underserved communities.
He stressed that the challenges cannot be addressed by a single sector and called for multi-sectoral collaboration and continued support from international partners.
