Decolonisation of Health Care in Tanzania

Access to healthcare largely depends on where you live and how much money you have. It is far from equally accessible to all. The authors are three physicians from Tanzania and two from the United Kingdom (UK) who share a common commitment to understanding and addressing the consequences of colonisation on the provision of healthcare. Our opinion is based on extensive experience of working in East Africa, in both a clinical and academic capacity. We define decolonisation from the perspective of building sustainable and independent clinical and academic services in Tanzania with the support of experienced UK clinicians. This opinion piece describes and discusses workforce and political issues which have shaped past and present influences of the UK in Tanzanian healthcare. We describe some successful initiatives already improving outcomes in Africa and offer further examples of practices that might facilitate improved clinical and academic outcomes for all marginalised people in the future.