Understanding the China-Tanzania Malaria Control Project: lessons learned from a multi-stakeholder qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Malaria Control

Background:

• Tanzania faces high malaria burden, exacerbated by poverty and weak health infrastructure.
• The China-Tanzania Malaria Control Project (2015-2021) aimed to transfer malaria elimination expertise.
• The study examines barriers and facilitators in South-South global health collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify barriers and facilitators of the China-Tanzania Malaria Control Project.
• Enhance understanding of South-South global health collaboration dynamics.
• Inform future malaria control initiatives in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• Thematic analysis of qualitative data from 14 diverse stakeholders.
• Conceptual framework guided interview development.
• Grounded theory approach (open and axial coding) used for analysis via NVivo 12.0.

Main Results:

• Malaria control strategies require socioeconomic tailoring.
• Enablers included project interventions, team capabilities, funding, and international support.
• Barriers comprised talent shortages, standards gaps, communication defects, and logistical limits.

Conclusions:

• China's malaria control efforts need to address funding gaps and recipient government support.
• Institutionalized schemes and sustainable funding are recommended for development assistance in health.
• Evidence-based interventions can be generalized to high malaria-endemic African countries.