The following facts reveal the severity of the health care crisis in Tanzania and emphasize the need to increase the numbers of human resources for health (HRH) in the country.

• Population per MD in the United States: 400
  Population per MD in Tanzania: 30,000
• Life expectancy in US: 78 years
  Life expectancy in Tanzania: 49 years
• Health workforce density in US: 56 per 1000
  Health workforce density in TZ: 1.3 per 1000
• Infant mortality rate: 126 per 1,000 live births
• Maternal mortality rate: 1,500 per 100,000 live births
• 1 out of every 7 Tanzanian children dies before the age of 5
• Estimated adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS as of 2003: 6.5%
• Malaria is the No. 1 killer of children under 5 in Tanzania and causes 20% of premature deaths in the adult population every year
• HIV/AIDS causes nearly 25% of all premature deaths in Tanzania, and HIV/AIDS patients occupy roughly half of the country’s hospital beds every day
• Tanzania has over 30 times fewer HRH per capita than the United States, and nearly 50 times fewer higher-skilled HRH per capita
• There are approximately six health workers per 10,000 capita in Tanzania, compared to fourteen on average in sub-Saharan Africa, and 62 in South Africa
• Training doctors in Tanzania is 30-50% less expensive in Tanzania than the African average
• Training a health care worker in Tanzania is over seven times less expensive than importing one from abroad
• World Health Organization: Tanzania country profile
• Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare