Mr AlJaaly’s Humanitarian Cardiac InitiativeTanzania

Tanzania Background

The Republic of Tanzania was formed as a sovereign state in 1964 through the union of the separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Mainland Tanganyika covers more than 99 percent of the combined territories’ total area. It is bound by 7 countries through its borders and is South of the Equator. Dodoma, since 1974 the designated official capital of Tanzania, is centrally located on the mainland. Dar es Salaam, however, remains the seat of most government administration, as well as being the largest city and port in the country. It has Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet), and the world’s second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika (4,710 feet deep). The majority of Tanzanians are of Bantu descent. A third of the population are Christians and slightly more are Muslim. The two principal languages are Swahili and English. The economy is largely agrarian.

Tanzania is the most populous and vast country in East Africa with a population of 50.1 million people according to the 2017 Projections by the National Bureau of Statistics National Census of 2012.[1] It is a sparsely populated country with a geographically wide distribution of settlements hence presenting a challenge regarding access to hospitals. With its population and an area of 940,000 km2, its population density varies from 12 people per km[2] in Lindi to 3,133 people per km2 in Dar es Salaam.[1]There are 31 administrative regions in the country and the list of hospitals will be grouped by regions.

The healthcare system in Tanzania

The healthcare system in Tanzania is arranged in a hierarchical structure and the administrative structure is related to the running of the equivalent level of the health facility and where the first line health facility is the dispensary to be built in every village and health centre to be built in every ward as is written in The Primary Health Care Development Program (2007–2017).[2] Private healthcare facilities make up significant number in the country more than 60% ( except in Dar es Salaam Region (174 public and 876 Private)[2].

Cardiac Surgery Status in Dar Es-Salam

Cardiac Institute (JKCI) is the only cardiac institute in the country; it also attracts patients from some surrounding countries. Cardiac Institute (JKCI) is a National Specialised and University Teaching Hospital offering cardiovascular care, training and research services. Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute was established in October 2015 by the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac (Establishment) Instrument, 2015.The Institute has a 103 bed capacity attending on average 700 outpatients and 100 in-patients per week. The Institute has 203 employees organised into six directorates which are Cardiology services, Surgical Services, Nursing Services, Clinical Support Services and Corporate Services. These directorates are sub-divided into 16 departments. Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) is a Government owned hospital which serves patients from across all regions of United Republic of Tanzania who are referred from regional referral and designated hospitals for cardiovascular medical intervention.

According to JKCI, the health facility has so far attended to more than 200,000 patients since it was established in September 2015. Among the patients, more than 1,000 underwent major and minor heart surgeries at the institute. At more than 1,000 heart surgeries, Tanzania is the second country in Sub-Saharan Africa after Namibia, apart from South Africa, to have conducted such a big number of operations.

1- “Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey, 2015-2016” (PDF). Tanzania DHS. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
2- “PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AND PROGRESS TOWARD UHC, TANZANIA” (PDF). PAI. 2018. “Tanzania–Summary and Tables of Facilities”. The United Republic of Tanzania; Health Facility Registry, Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children. Retrieved 2020-08-15.