BMH sets sights on medical tourism

DODOMA: BENJAMIN Mkapa Hospital (BMH) is envisioned to transform into a medical tourism hub in Dodoma, with plans to establish a medical tourism village at the University of Dodoma (UDOM).

The plans are contained in the hospital’s ambitious 10-year strategy aimed at strengthening specialised healthcare services, research and training.

The hospital is also setting up a special fund to support bone marrow transplants for children suffering from sickle cell disease and kidney transplant services for needy citizens in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

The initiative targets raising 7bn/- within two years, with 4bn/- already collected. BMH Executive Director, Prof Abel Makubi, revealed the plans yesterday while briefing editors in Dar es Salaam ahead of the hospital’s 10th anniversary celebrations scheduled for July this year.

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Prof Makubi said the hospital’s achievements over the past decade have positioned it to expand into medical tourism, attracting patients from neighbouring countries seeking specialised treatment.

“We have a large area at UDOM and therefore we want to establish a medical tourism zone. We want to focus on our three core areas; quality healthcare services, research and training,” he said.

He noted that the East African Community (EAC) has designated BMH as a Centre of Excellence for bone marrow transplantation treatment for children with sickle cell disease, making it the only hospital offering the service in East and Central Africa. Prof Makubi further said the government, from the fourth to the sixth phase administrations, has invested 283bn/- in infrastructure, medical equipment and human resources at the hospital.

He said BMH currently has 1,073 employees compared to only 20 staff members when the hospital was established on October 13, 2015. According to him, the hospital now serves approximately 10 million people from eight regions across the country.

“The hospital has 400 beds and 1,073 staff members, including more than 100 specialists and super-specialists. BMH provides 20 specialised services and 18 super-specialised services including organ transplantation, open-heart surgery, cardiac catheterisation, advanced radiology, brain and spinal surgery, hip and knee replacement, minimally invasive surgery and dialysis,” he said.

Prof Makubi added that the hospital has continued attracting international patients through medical tourism services. “Under medical tourism, we have treated 2,897 patients from Burundi, 526 from Comoros and one patient from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in addition to other foreign patients,” he said.

He further noted that the Royal Clinic, established on July 10, 2025, has so far served 18,607 patients, including 39 international patients through Master Health Checkup services.

Detailing on bone marrow transplantation for children with sickle cell disease, Assistant Director and Haematology Specialist, Dr Stella Mangae, said BMH has so far treated 30 patients, among whom 12 have fully recovered and resumed normal life, including returning to school. She said two patients are currently admitted, including one from the DRC.

Dr Mangae acknowledged the high cost of bone marrow transplantation but commended the government for covering treatment expenses amounting to 75m/- per patient.

Meanwhile, Prof Masumbuko Mwashambwa said the hospital has so far treated 56 kidney patients, adding that more than 200 kidney transplant patients have been treated in Tanzania, including 156 at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).

Prof Mwashambwa said high blood pressure and diabetes account for 85 per cent of kidney disease cases. He added that globally, an estimated 850 million people suffer from kidney disease, while 1.5 million die annually from the condition.