BMH to introduce cardiovascular services soon
DODOMA: THE Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) has said it will soon introduce cardiovascular services, as the hospital celebrates its eight years of existence tomorrow.
BMH Executive Director, Dr Alphonce Chandika, told journalists in Dodoma on Tuesday that the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI)-like super specialised heart surgical services will now be available in the Central Zone, thus easing the burden of some patients who are forced to travel long distances to access the services at JKCI in Dar es salaam.
“In offering the cardiovascular services we are planning to work with several medical stakeholders, including experts from JKCI,’’ he noted.
Dr Chandika made the revelation when outlining the key achievements that have so far been attained by his hospital that tomorrow will mark its eight-year anniversary. The BMH Executive Director paid tribute to the government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan for continuing to support his institute in terms of infrastructure, human resources, finance, medicines and medical equipment.
According to him, within only eight years, the hospital has already introduced several specialists and super specialised services that have helped the country to save billions of shillings in reducing referrals outside the country.
“Also, many patients who were being forced to travel long kilometres to Dar es Salaam’s Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) are now accessing almost all medical services at BMH,’’ said Dr Chandika.
At the similar event, Dr Chandika handed over an award to Dr Stella Malangahe who was recognised as the overall winner of the ‘Doctor of the Year Award’. Dr Malangahe was awarded at the 10th Anniversary of Tanzania Health Summit on October 4th, 2023.
Dr Malangahe is an Assistant Director in the Department of Haematology and Oncology at BMH. She holds a Degree of Medicine from the Catholic University of Healthy and Allied Sciences, formerly known as Weill BUCHS, and a Master of Medicine in Haematology and Blood Transfusion from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).
This year at BMH, Dr Malangahe led a team that performed the first Bone Marrow Transplant in three patients with Sickle cell disease.
This makes Tanzania the first country in East and Central Africa and the sixth in Africa to excel in such a rare and needy curative type of medical intervention worldwide. All transplanted patients are no longer sickle cell disease patients – they are sickle cell disease – free.
Speaking yesterday, Dr Malangahe said she will continue bringing an endless smile to her patients by expanding curative services that require bBone marrow transplant treatment. “This award is not for me alone but it is for the BMH team and I request my fellow staff to maintain this team work spirit,” she said.
