In a country with a population of 56+ million people, Tanzania has one of the lowest doctor to patient ratios in the world. There are less than 2000 working doctors in the country.
Tanzania’s life expectancy is 64 years old, with nearly 20% of girls and women between the ages of 15-49 dying during child birth and 1 out of 15 children dying before their 5th birthday.
Communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are the most common cause of illnesses, death and disability. However, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory track and cardiovascular conditions are steadily increasing.
The quality of health care is compromised by weak institutional response preparedness, inadequate equipment and supplies and insufficient and unskilled staff. While there are steps being made to improve this state, more needs to be done.
KAMACHUMU, TANZANIA
Kamachumu Health Clinic will be located in the heart of Kamachumu, one of the largest towns in Kagera, a region in Northwestern Tanzania. The Kagera region has a population between 2.5 and 3 million and the population of Kamachumu, including the surrounding villages, make up over 100,000 inhabitants. Kamachumu has a long and rich history that include powerful kingdoms and a complex, hierarchical society.
HEALTHCARE IN KAMACHUMU
Since the AIDS pandemic hit the Kagera region 30 years ago, adequate health care has been difficult to find. At EHI (as Tanzanians from this area) we hear directly from relatives who complain of the lack of medical services. It is clear that there need to be more affordable and reliable health services that people can have access to.
Today the most prevalent diseases in this area are malaria, tuberculosis, ulcers, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and various forms of cancer. There are also several emerging medical problems such as type II diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes. These illnesses often require more healthcare expenditures and pose an additional challenge to a developing country with meager resources.
There are 4 hospitals that serve this entire district: Ndolage, Rubya Hospital, Kagondo Hospital and Bukoba Regional Hospital, as well as a number of health centers and dispensaries found within Kamachumu’s vicinity.
But despite what appears to be an adequate number of health care stations most of them are unable to adequately serve the population due to:
- insufficient drugs and medical supplies
- inadequately paid medical personnel
- inconsistent availability of diagnostic equipment
- unreliable water supply and power.
As Tanzanians from this region, with years of experience in medical and public health services for over 40 years in over 7 different countries, our goal is for Kamachumu Health Clinic to provide much needed accessible, compassionate and quality healthcare to the Kamachumu area with a level of efficiency observed at the best health facilities in the world.
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