Tanzania’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage by 2030 depends not only on public investment, but on the resilience and growth of its private health sector. From small dispensaries to pharmacies and diagnostic centres, private providers are often the first – and sometimes the only – point of care, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Yet with more than 3,600 private health facilities and over 18,000 pharmacies and accredited drug outlets nationwide, many of these enterprises have long been locked out of formal credit by strict collateral requirements, lengthy approvals and lender risk perceptions. The Medical Credit Fund exists to close that gap.
Who We Are
Medical Credit Fund (MCF) was founded in 2009 by PharmAccess to provide debt financing to small and medium enterprises in the health sector – a segment traditional banks have historically overlooked. Operating across several African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, MCF combines affordable capital with technical support to help health businesses grow while raising the quality of care they deliver.
In Tanzania, Medical Credit Fund II Tanzania Limited (MCF) has made this mission a practical reality, working hand in hand with healthcare entrepreneurs across the country. Our approach rests on a simple conviction: when providers are empowered both financially and technically, the benefits reach far beyond the balance sheet – they strengthen the entire health system.
“We have many committed providers who want to grow their facilities, but access to capital has remained a major barrier. When you empower providers financially and technically, you are not just supporting businesses – you are strengthening the entire health system.”
— Dr Heri Marwa, Country Director, MCF Tanzania
Our Products and Services
At the heart of our work in Tanzania is Afya Mkopo, a digital financing solution delivered in partnership with Vodacom Tanzania that blends healthcare-focused lending with mobile money technology. By integrating MCF’s sector expertise with Vodacom’s M-Pesa ecosystem, Afya Mkopo extends credit to healthcare SMEs based on real business activity rather than physical collateral. Our offering includes:
● Non-collateral digital credit: A fully digital loan that assesses creditworthiness using a provider’s own M-Pesa transaction data, replacing collateral-based lending with a data-driven model that reflects how businesses actually operate.
● Flexible loan sizes: Unsecured loans ranging from Sh200,000 to Sh100 million, disbursed directly into mobile wallets, with repayments automatically deducted as a small percentage of daily transactions – seamless, transparent and disciplined.
● Working-capital support: Financing that smooths one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges – cash-flow instability – especially for facilities serving insured patients whose reimbursements are often delayed by months.
● Technical assistance: Beyond lending, MCF works closely with providers to strengthen quality standards and ensure sustainable operations – pairing access to capital with improvements in service delivery and patient safety.
Afya Mkopo now reaches healthcare providers across 16 regions of Tanzania, serving pharmacies, accredited drug dispensing outlets (ADDOs), dispensaries, laboratories, polyclinics and hospitals. Because the capital a provider can access is unlocked by their own digital revenue, borrowers increasingly grow on the strength of their own performance and demand – an approach that puts the levers of financing in their own hands.
Impact in Action
Our clients’ growth journeys tell the story best. In Arusha, Hope Dispensary has completed successive Afya Mkopo cycles – first improving facility security, then acquiring a haematology analyser that boosted diagnostic income (comfortably servicing repayments), and now seeking financing for an ultrasound machine to expand services further. Each investment funds the next.
In Dar es Salaam, MDM Hospital has used Afya Mkopo to stabilise operations while awaiting insurance reimbursements, maintaining an uninterrupted supply of medicines and continuity of care.
“We are seeing a shift where providers are no longer just surviving, but actually growing. When financing is predictable and accessible, it directly improves healthcare delivery.”
— Dr Heri Marwa, Country Director, MCF Tanzania
Upcoming Events, Announcements & Collaboration
● Tanzania Health Summit 2026: MCF will participate in the 13th Annual Tanzania Health Summit (5–7 October 2026, Mlimani City Conference Centre, Dar es Salaam), themed “Building Health Sovereignty and Strengthening Health Systems in a Changing Global Order,” where we will showcase the Afya Mkopo growth-journey model.
● Growing our footprint: As Afya Mkopo scales across the country, MCF continues to deepen its reach into new regions and health-facility segments, and to strengthen the technical-support services offered alongside its loans.
● Opportunities for collaboration: MCF welcomes partnerships with fellow TAMFI members, mobile network operators, insurers, financial institutions, professional associations and development partners who share our goal of expanding responsible, data-driven access to finance for Tanzania’s health sector. We are keen to explore co-financing, referral pathways, and joint financial-literacy initiatives.
Together with our partners, we believe technology and finance can be leveraged to build a more inclusive and resilient health system – one financially empowered provider at a time.
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