AFCON 2027 drives Tanzania’s push to strengthen emergency care
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA is stepping up efforts to strengthen emergency medical care ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), expanding specialist training, paramedic services and hospital capacity as the country prepares to receive athletes, officials and large numbers of visitors for the continental tournament.
The preparations are aimed not only at ensuring that medical services are available during matches, but at building a coordinated emergency response system capable of assisting people wherever health problems arise, from stadiums and hotels to roads and hospitals.
Tanzania will co-host AFCON 2027 with Kenya and Uganda, with more than 1.5 million international and regional visitors expected to travel across the three countries during the tournament.
The scale of the event is putting greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, including the ability to respond rapidly to injuries, road traffic accidents, sudden illness and other medical emergencies.
Beyond the tournament, the government’s investment is designed to secure a lasting public health legacy.
The country’s response is taking shape at several levels, from the training of emergency medicine specialists and paramedics to the upgrading of hospitals and the introduction of digital technologies designed to speed up access to care.
At the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), specialist emergency medicine training is being expanded while the university strengthens its paramedic programme.
MUHAS Vice-Chancellor Prof Appolinary Kamuhabwa said the university had increased enrolment in specialist emergency medicine as part of efforts to expand Tanzania’s capacity to respond to medical emergencies.
“We have increased enrolment in emergency medicine specialist training, while the paramedic programme will also help the country, not only during AFCON but in responding to emergencies that occur in our communities every day,” he said.
The paramedic programme is intended to strengthen the first stage of the emergency care chain by training professionals to provide immediate and critical care at the scene of an incident, stabilise patients and arrange their safe transfer to hospital.
Kamuhabwa said this was particularly important in road traffic accidents, where inappropriate handling of an injured person could worsen their condition or contribute to death.
“Sometimes it is not the accident itself that causes death, but the way the patient is handled afterwards,” he said.
He warned that failure to follow appropriate emergency procedures could result in blocked airways and other life-threatening complications.
The development of paramedic services is therefore intended to ensure that emergency care begins before a patient reaches hospital, rather than relying solely on treatment once an injured or critically ill person arrives at a health facility.
That capacity will be particularly important during AFCON, when large numbers of people will be moving between airports, hotels, stadiums, training grounds and other public spaces. But the response does not stop at the point of first contact.
Last month, Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Paul Makonda highlighted the role that upgraded hospitals in Arusha will play in Tanzania’s preparations, saying improved facilities would be among the key health assets supporting the tournament.
Makonda said the government is considering hospitals that had undergone major improvements for inclusion in inspections by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as it assesses Tanzania’s readiness for AFCON.
He said preparations for a tournament of this scale had to go beyond football itself to include roads, security, food and, critically, the health of visitors and residents. “AFCON is not just about football on the pitch.
We have to look at the roads, security and safety, the availability of food, but also people’s health, so that when people come here, if they have a health problem, they know where to go,” Makonda noted.
He said he intended to ensure that the relevant facilities were included in the itinerary of the CAF inspection team so that the inspectors could assess them alongside stadiums and other tournament infrastructure.
The hospital preparations have been underway for months. In March, the Daily News reported that the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), in collaboration with Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC), had formed a special committee to improve health infrastructure and services ahead of AFCON 2027.
The initiative is intended to ensure that football fans, athletes and members of the public can access quality healthcare during the tournament.
JKCI Executive Director Dr Peter Kisenge said the hospital was renovating its intensive care unit, increasing the number of modern hospital beds and installing advanced medical equipment.
Among the equipment being introduced are CT scanning and catheterisation laboratory (Cathlab) facilities to support diagnosis of heart conditions and the detection of blockages in blood vessels.
The investment is significant because emergency preparedness requires hospitals to be able not only to receive patients but also to diagnose and treat serious conditions quickly.
JKCI also plans to introduce artificial intelligence technology to support communication between doctors and patients and to collect patient information at an early stage.
According to Kisenge, the system could begin gathering information about a patient while they are at a stadium or another point of care, allowing health professionals to have relevant information before the patient reaches hospital.
The aim is to reduce delays between an emergency occurring and the patient receiving appropriate medical attention.
JKCI is also discussing with the Government the establishment of designated areas within stadiums where emergency health services can be provided to spectators and players.
This would create another link between the medical teams at venues and the hospitals receiving patients who require more advanced treatment. Ambulance services are expected to form part of that system.
Kisenge said patients developing bone-related problems or other serious health complications could be collected from wherever they were, including hotels, and taken to an appropriate facility.
The hospital is also exploring the use of “Dozee” smart bedsheets to monitor patients’ health conditions through technology.
A digital registration system is planned to allow patients to register, make payments and access medical services more quickly, reducing unnecessary waiting times.
The preparations also include improvements to the physical environment, including modern toilets, upgraded intensive care facilities and landscaped areas intended to make hospitals more comfortable for patients.
In Arusha, Selian Hospital, operated by ALMC, is also expected to form part of the wider health response for AFCON visitors and athletes.
Kisenge said visitors would be able to access medical services at the hospital, including registration and consultation through a facialrecognition system.
The emphasis on digital systems reflects a broader attempt to make healthcare more accessible to international visitors who may be unfamiliar with Tanzania’s health system and who may need rapid assistance while travelling between venues and accommodation.
The collaboration between JKCI and ALMC also predates the tournament preparations. In March, the two institutions conducted a free medical camp in Arusha as part of activities marking World Kidney Week, offering screening for kidney disease, urinary-system disorders and vascular conditions.
More than 10 specialist doctors from the Benjamin Mkapa Institute, together with doctors from JKCI and ALMC, took part in the initiative.
The camp offered members of the public access to specialist consultations and services covering areas including vascular surgery, heart and urinary-system treatment, erectile dysfunction and dialysis access procedures for patients with kidney problems.
While the medical camp was not an AFCON activity, it demonstrated the specialist co-operation and healthcare capacity that the institutions can draw on as Tanzania prepares for the tournament.
The wider health preparations also extend to athletes. Deputy Minister for Health Florence Samizi said the government was strengthening medical diagnostic capacity for sportspeople, alongside prevention and health education.
“We are strengthening preventive care and health education, establishing a solid foundation for enhanced healthcare in Tanzania ahead of AFCON 2027 and advancing medical tourism.
“Regarding AFCON 2027, the health sector is fully prepared to deliver medical services to all visiting athletes as well as our domestic sportsmen and sportswomen as we approach the tournament,” the deputy minister noted.
She said the health sector was ready to provide services to athletes coming to Tanzania as well as Tanzanian athletes preparing for AFCON 2027.
The preparations are therefore not limited to treating injuries after they occur. They include medical assessment, diagnosis, prevention, health education and emergency response.
Samizi also linked the investment to a longer-term objective of strengthening Tanzania’s health services and developing medical tourism.
That wider ambition is reflected in the partnership supporting MUHAS’ emergency medicine and paramedic programmes.
The university is working with Ankara University and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), which has supported training, equipment and knowledge exchange in Tanzania.
The paramedic school builds on emergency-response training conducted in 2024, which trained more than 50 healthcare professionals.
TİKA Country Director Halim Sö üt said the agency had implemented more than 300 projects in Tanzania across sectors including education, healthcare, water and sanitation and social development.
He said the partnership was focused on knowledge sharing, institutional co-operation and technical support aimed at strengthening local capacity and supporting sustainable development.
The collaboration has also produced specialised healthcare services at MUHAS, including a paediatric dental sedation unit launched in Dar es Salaam.
The unit enables children who cannot tolerate or cooperate during conventional dental procedures to receive treatment under sedation.
Kamuhabwa said some young children may be frightened by injections or unable to remain still during dental treatment, making sedation necessary in certain cases.
The unit had already treated 27 children before its official launch and has been equipped with anaesthesia, dental and emergency medical equipment.
Ankara University Rector Prof Dr Nejdet Ünüvar described the paediatric sedation unit and the co-operation in emergency medicine as important steps in strengthening relations between the two institutions.
He pledged to expand academic and professional cooperation with MUHAS, including through the exchange of skills and experience.
Although paediatric dental care is not directly linked to AFCON, the development illustrates the wider health-sector capacity being built through international partnerships.
For Tanzania, the significance of these preparations lies in how the different components fit together. At one end of the system are prevention, health education and medical assessments.
At another are paramedics and emergency teams able to provide care at the scene of an incident. Beyond them are ambulances, digital systems and hospitals equipped to diagnose and treat serious conditions.
The objective is to create a system in which a person who becomes ill or injured at a stadium, hotel or on the road can be identified, treated and transferred to appropriate care without unnecessary delays.
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That will be important for AFCON visitors, but it is equally relevant to Tanzanians who require emergency care every day.
Makonda has stressed that the improvements being made for AFCON should not disappear when the tournament ends.
Instead, they should remain part of Tanzania’s health infrastructure and continue serving the public.
This is perhaps the most important measure of the country’s preparedness.
As CAF prepares to inspect Tanzania’s readiness, the health sector will form part of a much wider picture that includes stadiums, roads, security and other infrastructure.
For Tanzania, however, the preparations represent an opportunity to demonstrate that hosting AFCON can deliver benefits beyond football.
The tournament may last only a few weeks, but the emergency specialists, paramedics, hospital facilities, diagnostic equipment and digital systems being developed in preparation for it are intended to remain in place.
In that sense, AFCON 2027 is driving Tanzania’s push to strengthen emergency care not only for the visitors who will arrive for the tournament, but for the millions of Tanzanians who will continue to rely on the country’s health system long after the final whistle.
