By Costantine Muganyizi
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar has appointed Dr. Heri Marwa (pictured above) as the new Director General of the Zanzibar Health Services Fund (ZHSF), placing an experienced health-financing and insurance specialist at the helm of the institution as it moves to expand health-insurance coverage across the Isles.
The appointment was announced on August 10, 2026, following leadership changes made by Zanzibar President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the House of Representatives, the changes included the appointment of Dr. Marwa as Director General of ZHSF and Mr. Abdalla Mohamed Abdalla as Director General of the Zanzibar Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (CMS).
“Dr. Marwa is the Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation, Tanzania Office, and is an expert in health financing,” the statement said, adding that Mr. Abdalla is the Chief Pharmacist and Head of the TMJ Hospital Pharmacy in Dar es Salaam.
“These appointments take effect from 10 August 2026,” the presser noted.
Dr. Marwa succeeds the previous leadership of ZHSF at a strategically important stage in the development of Zanzibar’s health-financing system, with the Fund expected to play an increasingly central role in expanding insurance coverage and protecting households from high healthcare costs.
Established under the Zanzibar Health Services Fund Act No. 1 of 2023, ZHSF is a statutory public health-financing and health-insurance institution mandated to facilitate access to appropriate, quality and affordable healthcare through registered health facilities.
Its guiding motto, “Afya Bora Kwa Wote” (Better Health for All), captures the Fund’s broader mandate of improving access to healthcare while supporting Zanzibar’s human-capital development.
Dr. Marwa brings more than 15 years of experience in health policy, health financing, insurance and health-sector management. He has served as Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation Tanzania since 2019 and has worked with governments and development partners on initiatives aimed at strengthening health-financing systems and expanding access to quality healthcare.
He is also a member of the Africa CDC Technical Working Group on Health Financing, a specialist platform that brings together experts to advise on strategies for strengthening sustainable health financing, improving resource mobilisation and supporting African countries to build resilient and equitable health systems.
Dr. Marwa’s appointment also comes with substantial knowledge of Zanzibar’s health-financing architecture. His professional profile indicates that he led a team providing technical assistance for the establishment of Zanzibar’s social health-insurance scheme and the Zanzibar Health Services Fund.
He was also involved in supporting the Zanzibar Government to develop its first Health Financing Strategy and establish a health equity fund, giving him direct familiarity with the policy and institutional foundations of the Fund he has now been appointed to lead.
His wider experience includes leading the design and piloting of Tanzania Mainland’s Improved Community Health Fund (iCHF), which was subsequently adopted across all 26 regions. He has also worked on social health-insurance reforms, private health insurance and digital-enabled demand-side financing for maternal healthcare.
Dr. Marwa holds a Medicine degree from the University of Dar es Salaam and a Master of Arts in Health Policy, Finance and Management from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. He has also undertaken professional training in social health protection, global health, insurance, health-systems strengthening and sustainable financing.
At ZHSF, key priorities are expected to include expanding membership, particularly among informal-sector workers and other underserved groups, while strengthening digital registration and verification, healthcare-provider networks, claims management and service-quality monitoring.
The Fund’s next phase will therefore be critical in translating insurance expansion into meaningful financial protection and reliable access to healthcare.
With his combination of health-financing expertise, insurance experience and previous involvement in establishing Zanzibar’s health-insurance architecture, Dr. Marwa takes charge of ZHSF with a strong understanding of both its institutional foundations and the challenges ahead. His appointment is expected to provide continuity as Zanzibar advances its broader ambition of achieving universal health coverage and delivering on the Fund’s promise of “Afya Bora Kwa Wote”—Better Health for All.
