Groundbreaking health insurance offering by Vitality Health International and Strategis provides comprehensive cover with flexible plans, malaria benefit and more

Vitality Health International’s health insurance offering which employers can provide to their staff, presented through Strategis’ in-market insurance expertise, brings innovative new benefits to Tanzania, including a range of four flexible plan options, a Malaria Benefit, and the Vitality behaviour-change rewards programme.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 13 February 2025 – Health insurance provider Vitality Health International, and leading in-market insurer Strategis Insurance recently held an insightful roundtable discussion in Tanzania, to share insights regarding how wellness which rewards healthy living can result in a healthier workforce, sustainable healthcare insurance pricing models and how being a force for social good can positively impact society overall. Dialogue also included an introduction to Vitality Health International’s unique shared-value health insurance offering and innovative new benefits for Tanzanian employer groups. These benefits include flexible health insurance plans, a Malaria Benefit, and the Vitality behaviour-change rewards programme, aimed at providing comprehensive coverage and improving health outcomes for employers and their employees in Tanzania.

“Our health insurance offering is unique because it focuses on wellbeing and is aimed at positively impacting people’s health outcomes while enhancing and protecting their lives,” explained Emma Knox, CEO of Vitality Health International: Africa. “Our commitment extends beyond providing health insurance – we also reward healthy behaviours and support a healthier African continent overall.

Vitality Health International – backed by globally renowned shared-value insurance pioneer

Vitality Health International is owned by multi-award winning South African insurer, Discovery. Over the past three decades Discovery has pioneered the Vitality Shared-value Insurance model in South Africa, changing the insurance landscape with a health insurance model that rewards people for healthy living, and building successful partnerships globally with leading insurers.

Discovery also has a global presence, today operating in more than 40 markets, impacting the lives of over 40 million people. Since its launch in January 2022, Vitality Health International has been gaining momentum in bringing health insurance that rewards healthy living to employer groups in the rest of Africa. In addition to Tanzania, the health insurer has already extended its roots to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia.

Strategis Insurance is one of the leading insurance companies in Tanzania, with more than 22 years of experience in the market and a team of more than 100 skilled employees. The company offers a wide range of products to cater for various needs. Built on excellence, commitment, and accountability, Strategis Insurance has offices across Tanzania, and its services have a global reach. With Strategis as its in-market insurer, Vitality Health International is committed to enhancing the quality of life of the African people, making the partnership mutually beneficial for both entities.

As Vitality Health International’s in-country health insurance partner, Strategis uses its established systems to collect premiums and manage debtors. Vitality Health International focuses on providing excellent healthcare insurance to the nation while simultaneously expanding its reach throughout Tanzania.

Dr. Malav Manek, CEO of Strategis Insurance says: “Strategis Insurance offers a comprehensive range of innovative products and is committed to customer satisfaction. We believe that our partnership with Vitality Health International will enhance the health and wellbeing of our clients and their loved ones.”

A comprehensive new offering with innovative benefits

Vitality Health International offers four health insurance options, with comprehensive cover across all benefits. Tailored to the unique needs of each market in which it operates, Vitality Health International’s comprehensive range of benefit plans include in-country, Africa Roaming, and worldwide (excluding USA) healthcare coverage, structured according to each employer’s healthcare needs and sustainable healthcare insurance pricing models.

Vitality Health International has also pioneered the first-to-market Vitality Malaria Benefit, available across all Vitality Health International healthcare insurance plans. This benefit includes a rapid diagnostic test for employers to make available for their employees. Over-the-counter medicine is also made available when a positive result is picked up. The Vitality Malaria Benefit dovetails perfectly with Vitality Health International’s partnership with Goodbye Malaria, an initiative driven by passionate and concerned African entrepreneurs, which is focused on eliminating malaria in our lifetime.

Exciting new products are set to be launched over the coming months catering to the specific needs of employers in each market.

Vitality Health International’s Shared-value health insurance positively impact health outcomes

Vitality Health International’s Shared-value model is centred on Vitality’s science-based behaviour-change programme that has been proven through independent research to positively impact health outcomes. The Vitality programme is embedded in Vitality Health International’s health insurance model.

This dynamic behaviour-change programme combines data analytics with rewards and incentives, which directly encourage people to make healthier choices. The shared-value approach enables employees, employers, and Vitality Health International to share in the value and benefits of healthy behaviour by lowering healthcare costs for employers and employees, while decreasing the claims risks for Vitality Health International.

Employers are rewarded with a cashback of up to 10% for encouraging their employees to get healthy and the Vitality Health Fund, which can be unlocked when members complete their Vitality Health Review, extends the employees’ outpatient benefits by up to $100, based on completion of Vitality health assessments and positive engagement with the Vitality programme.

Employees can earn exciting weekly rewards for achieving their goals, or employees can choose to donate towards a life-changing vaccine. By completing their weekly goals (including personalised, mental, fitness and lifestyle goals), members close their virtual ‘fuel bar’ and successfully earn rewards. Employees are further incentivised with vouchers for achieving health goals with the new Vitality rewards partner, Vodacom Tanzania.

Emma Knox, CEO of Vitality Health International says: “The foundation of the Vitality Shared-value model is to reward people for healthier behaviours, which improves their physical and mental well-being, improving productivity and decreasing the employer’s insurance or ‘health risk’. Through this, model Vitality Health International is contributing towards a healthier society by making businesses and their employees healthier.”

The Vitality programme also enables Vitality Health International to provide an on-site wellness experience for employers.

Vitality Health International’s offerings align with current healthcare trends

Africa is going through a disease profile shift, making the Vitality Health International health insurance model highly relevant for the African market.

Lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are emerging as the main cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa. This shift is caused by increased urbanisation, lack of physical activity, poor levels of disease screening and late-stage disease diagnosis.

Tanzania faces a double burden of infectious and chronic diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Physical Activity 2022, 34% of deaths in Tanzania are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Around 13% of all NCDs in Tanzania are caused by cardiovascular diseaseand WHO data shows that in 2019, the prevalence of hypertension in Tanzania was 33.2% among adults aged 30-79 years.

Tanzania is one of the top 10 countries with the highest malaria prevalence and death rates. Nearly the entire population (93%) of Tanzania live in malaria transmission areas. According to the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2024, Tanzania had 8,555,000 estimated malaria cases in 2023 and was one of four countries that accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths globally in the same year, with 4.3%. Between 2019 and 2023, there was a substantial increase in the estimated case numbers of malaria in Tanzania (1.9 million).

“Added to this there are an estimated 100 million people in Africa suffering from clinical depression. In this context, employers are looking for more holistic screening and well-being solutions,” says Knox.

When it comes to mental health, Tanzania has a 58% prevalence of depressive disorders in some settings, with rising concerns about suicide rates. The World Bank considers mental disorders the greatest thief of productive economic life with Forbes estimating that 4% of the global GDP was lost due to the economic burden and impact of mental illness. Recognising the deterioration in mental health in Africa, Vitality proactively developed a Healthy Mind initiative that encourages its members to know their mental health status, improve their mental health and get rewarded for it.

At the heart of Vitality Health International

Knox concludes: “Our health insurance model, with the Vitality programme at its core, is highly relevant in the context of the changing healthcare needs of employees, including incentives, tools and rewards to help them live healthier lives. Vitality Health International’s unique healthcare solutions that reward healthy living can assist employer groups to manage employee health for the best business and individual outcomes. The shared-value model also brings down the insurance risk and improves performance as an insurer. At the same time, Vitality Health International is contributing towards a healthier society overall.”