This was declared by President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday in Dar es Salaam during the Inauguration ceremony of ‘The Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute’ (JKCI) at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).
The facility previously known as “Muhimbili Cardiac Treatment and Training Centre has been named after him to honor his legacy in efforts to save the lives of Tanzanians suffering from heart problems.
Speaking on behalf of President Kikwete, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr Seif Rashid said the facility has treated about 14,252 outpatients as of August last month and 912 in-patients with another 140 patients undergoing surgical procedures.
“We lost 5 patients in the course of the surgeries, a 3.4 per cent of total surgeries done at the centre. This is a very small number compared to 13 per cent as predicted by experts, meaning the surgeries were a success,” he said.
President Kikwete said that the government will keep on funding the facility while ordering the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to start paying for heart surgery and treatment for their members.
The JKCI has a capacity of 94 beds, two theatres and a catheterisation laboratory, able to accommodate 3 to 6 open heart surgery and 10-15 closed heart surgery.
Earlier, Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) Board chairperson Prof. Joseph Kuzilwa said the introduction of this institution with full administrative authority will fulfill government's commitment extend the service close to the public.
Prof. Kuzilwa said statistics shows that from 2014, Tanzanians life expectancy average has increased from 53 years to 61.2 years due to national and household’s economy improvement and a better investment in the health sector.
“Despite huge success records, statistics show cardiovascular diseases in Tanzania have also increased with the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates from 1990 to 2013 indicating increased cardiovascular diseases death rate by 41 per cent,” he said.
He said WHO estimated that 12.3 to 17.3 per cent of heart patients die in the world due to heart problems with Tanzania cases increasing by 26 per cent each year.
“Last year, records showed that 0.8 per cent (equivalent to 13,600 infants) had heart problems out of 1.7 million infants’ births,” he said.
He said despite budget deficit, last year the government had managed to send a total of 440 patients to India of which 220 were found to be suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
According to him, the cost of heart surgery and treatment abroad is estimated to be between $10,000 to $15,000 but in the country the cost is projected to be between $2,000 to $6,500 dollars, less thus showing the importance of the institution to Tanzanians health.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Donan Mmbando, with the institution efficiency coupled with modern facilities, African Union (AU) is planning to pick it to train African specializing in cardiac surgery.
He said the AU will also sponsor 60 children from various countries within the continent to undergo major heart surgery at the facility.
“This facility provides comprehensive cardiac services and specialised care for children, adolescents and adult patients, with a history of congenital and acquired heart diseases,” he said.
Mmbando said experts care is provided by the skilled local Tanzanian doctors and experienced visiting experts from abroad where two more experts have been employed to ensure there are enough specialists at the institutions.
The Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institution (JKCI) is the largest pediatric and adult cardiology centre in the country with a 94 bed capacity.
It is the first ever centre in the country to perform Transcatheter, repairing of congenital defects, enabling patients to undergo minimally invasive procedure instead of open-heart surgery.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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