Neither “Saviour” nor “Exploiter”: A Historical Study of China’s Medical Assistance in Post-Colonial Tanzania

The Chinese engagement into Africa has attracted scholars’ attention. There has been an endless debate over the Chinese influence in the continent. Yet scholars’ emphasis has been much on China’s economic and political assistance giving little weight on China’s medical assistance. The existing studies have put emphasize on China’s political support especially in the period when African countries were struggling to gain their political independence. Economic relations has also been an important aspect of Chinese engagement with Africa. There is scanty research on the China’s medical assistances to countries and communities in the continent. So far, only few studies focus on China’s medical assistance to Africa. Yet the contribution of these studies to the understanding of the implications of China’s medical assistances to Africa’s health sector particularly in Tanzania is limited. There is limited knowledge on the history and activities undertaken by the Chinese Medical Teams and a number of the Chinese health projects and research activities since the early 1960s to present. By using both primary and secondary sources this proposed study attempts to examine the implications of China’s medical assistance for the growth and efficacy of Africa’s health sector in the period from the 1960s to 2015, using Tanzania as a case study area.