Saving a patient’s life should no longer be the final measure of healthcare, health leaders have said, calling for greater focus on what happens after treatment, including whether patients can return to school, work and independent living.
The call was made on Thursday, September 17, 2026, during the Fourth Rehabilitation Summit in Dar es Salaam, where stakeholders urged the integration of rehabilitation into healthcare, supported by better patient tracking, data, financing and public awareness.
Mwananchi Communications Ltd (MCL) managing director, Ms Rosalynn Mndolwa-Mworia, who led a panel discussion on leadership and advocacy for rehabilitation services, said the health system should consider patients’ lives after treatment. ‘When we talk about healthcare, much of the attention goes to preventing illnesses, treating diseases and saving lives. But another important question begins after that: What kind of life does a person live?’ she said.
Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT) chief executive officer, Ms Brenda Msangi, said healthcare systems often measure diseases treated and lives saved without adequately measuring whether patients regain their ability to function.
‘If you look at how we measure healthcare indicators, we do not measure function. That is the first issue, and we also do not track the journey of these children after they receive interventions,’ she said.
Ms Msangi said better data was necessary for rehabilitation to receive attention in planning and budgeting.
‘Data gives us information. Even zero is data. If you are not tracking, then rehabilitation cannot be prioritised in terms of budgeting and financing,’ she said.
Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) executive director, Dr Delilah Kimambo, said her experience as a cardiologist had shown her that successful medical treatment did not necessarily mean a patient had returned to normal life.
Dr Kimambo said the experience changed how she viewed recovery and demonstrated the importance of rehabilitation after medical treatment.
She called for rehabilitation to be incorporated into Ministry of Health activities and health workers’ training.
‘For the Ministry of Health, rehabilitation should be included in all activities. We send our surgeons there, but rehabilitation is left aside,’ she said.
She also called for simple rehabilitation curricula in health workers’ training and urged cooperation between the government, private sector and non-governmental organisations to expand services.