Tanzanian medical authorities on Wednesday launched a national committee for medical tourism aimed at overseeing the country’s strategy of making it a medical tourism hub.
Members of the committee have been drawn from the country’s leading medical facilities of the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) and the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI).
Mohamed Janabi, chairperson of the national committee for medical tourism and MNH executive director, said the committee has been tasked to coordinate the arrivals of patients from abroad.
Speaking after he launched the committee in Dar es Salaam, Janabi said Tanzania has started receiving good numbers of patients from Malawi, Comoros, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo following major reforms that the country had undertaken in the health sector.
Peter Kisenge, JKCI executive director, said in 2022 his medical institution received and treated more than 200 patients from abroad, adding that by May 2023, 110 patients from abroad have been treated at the JKCI.
He said JKCI looks forward to receiving more patients from abroad because the government has invested heavily in medical equipment and human resources.
“What we need now is to improve our hospitality and customer care so that many patients from abroad could visit our institution for treatment.” Enditem