JKCI expansion to boost Tanzania’s cardiac hub ambition

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA is strengthening its position as a regional hub for advanced cardiac treatment and surgery following the signing of a 112bn/- agreement with China to expand the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) at Mloganzila.

The expansion comes as JKCI handles an average of 250,000 patients annually, performing more than 3,000 catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) procedures and 800 open-heart surgeries each year.

The new 100-bed hospital at Mloganzila will be equipped with three Cath Labs and two state-of-the-art operating theatres, enabling the institute to double its capacity to attend to patients and perform cardiovascular procedures.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Permanent Secretary Dr Grace Maghembe, said the agreement marked a shift from commitments and frameworks to actual implementation of the project.

“As we sign this agreement today, it is a testament that the project is now moving into implementation. We are moving from words, frameworks and commitments to actual implementation,” she said.

Dr Maghembe said the project was a practical demonstration of commitments made during the Ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held in Beijing in September 2024.

She expressed appreciation to President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying their commitment had been instrumental in advancing the longstanding Tanzania-China partnership.

According to Dr Maghembe, the impact of the partnership was extending beyond Tanzania’s borders, with the country increasingly providing specialised medical services to patients from other African countries.

She said Tanzania’s growing capacity in specialised healthcare was also contributing to the expansion of medical tourism, particularly among patients from East Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

JKCI Executive Director, Dr Peter Kisenge, said the Mloganzila expansion would provide a foundation for the institute to strengthen its position as a leading cardiac centre in East Africa and a centre of excellence for cardiovascular medicine.

He said the facility would bring together advanced patient care, specialist training, research, innovation and regional capacity building.

Dr Kisenge said the project had come at the right time as the government, through the Ministry of Health, was expanding access to healthcare under the Universal Health Insurance (UHI) programme.

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“The increased capacity created by JKCI expansion in Mloganzila will therefore support the government’s wider objective of ensuring that more Tanzanians can access the specialised and super-specialised healthcare services they require,” he said.

He said the project would also benefit patients from neighbouring and other African countries, including Malawi, Comoros, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria, who already access services at JKCI.

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian described JKCI as a shining example of Tanzania-China cooperation, saying its growing reputation as a leading specialised cardiac hospital in East and Central Africa was enabling patients to access quality medical services closer to home.

She said China would continue deepening health cooperation with Tanzania through medical teams, skills transfer, training and provision of medical equipment.

The ambassador noted that Chinese medical teams had treated hundreds of thousands of Tanzanian patients over the years.

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