BMH serves 400,000 patients annually

DODOMA: MORE than 432,000 people have received services at the Dodoma-based Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) in 2023, serving clients from the Central Zone and other regions neighbouring Dodoma Region.

The BMH is a 400-bed facility that provides critical care, including accident and emergency, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, coronary care and super specialised care consisting of cardiac, complex neurosurgical procedure and renal care.

Executive Director of the Hospital, Dr Alphonce Chandika, said here recently that BMH serves more than 1000 people in a day, adding that the public hospital serves about 36,000 people per month.

“Previously, people in the Central Zone and neighbouring regions had to travel all the way to Dar es Salaam to get access to super specialised health services,” said the Hospital’s boss while briefing Project Management Consultant from Japan’s Embassy, Ms Chika Umetsu.

Dr Chandika expressed gratitude to the government of Japan for the support to the BMH in introducing various super specialised services.

“We see Japan as our great partner because the country has been providing us (BMH) with support to introduce a number of super specialised services,” he said.

In 2019, BMH introduced kidney transplant service under auspices of the Tokyo based Tokushukai Medical Group, becoming the second health facility in the country to introduce the lifesaving operation service.

Dr Chanika further commended 5S Kaizen, a Japanese term meaning change for the better or continuous improvement in which the BMH had adopted and practices in its services.

On her part, Project Management Consultant from the Embassy of Japan, Ms Chika Umetsu, said Japan would continue to support BMH, hailing the services provided by the public hospital.

“I am excited about the health services provided by the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital. We will continue to support it,” she said.