Development partners commit 1.9bn/- to improve Bugando hospital laboratory

MWANZA: THE United States President’s Emergency Fund to fight AIDS (PEPFAR) and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through ICAP Tanzania have committed over 750,000 USD (1.9bn/-) to support Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) molecular laboratory set- up, operation and accreditation.

CDC Country Director Dr Mahesh Swaminathan stated this during the handing over event of HIV Drug Resistance Testing Laboratory at BMC in Mwanza City.

The event was attended by Mwanza Regional Commissioner Said Mtanda, US Congressional Staff Delegation, CDC Washington directors, CDC Tanzania, ICAP, Ministry of health and other members of regional health management team. Dr Swaminathan said for more than 15 years the US-PEPFAR through CDC has supported Bugando Hospital and laboratory systems strengthening in all regions of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

“Through our partnerships, BMC has become instrumental in advanced technology that has transformed the laboratory into a sustainable, self-operating entity delivering high-quality laboratory services across more than eight regions and extending services to neighbouring countries like the DRC and Burundi”, he explained.

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He said the U.S government congratulated the Ministry of Health, Tanzania Commission for AIDS, President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities, regional officials, non-governmental and civil society organizations for their commitment to improving health outcomes in Tanzania.

“We compliment BMC for their commitments to HIV epidemic control, and pandemic prevention, readiness and response through advanced detection systems,’’ he added.

For her party, ICAP Country Director Haruka Maruyama said the existing partnership has enabled ICAP to significantly support the Bugando lab, which has become a major testing hub and repository for Tanzania’s HIV Impact Research.

She said the establishment of the HIV drug resistance testing laboratory is an important step in ensuring the quality of HIV services in the Lake Zone regions and nearby regions.

“The laboratory capacity in forensic testing for Lake Zone regions has been highly transformative”, she said.

She clarified that the new laboratory comes at a right moment, promising to elevate patient care and pave the way for enhancing HIV/AIDS services.

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“We celebrate not just the official handing over of a laboratory but the dawn of a new era in our fight against HIV”, she said.

She said the ICAP Tanzania, through the support of CDC, will continue to support BMC and the Ministry of Health in various public health interventions.

“We recognize and extend our deepest gratitude to the government of Tanzania, PEPFAR and CDC for their unwavering support in making the establishment of this HIV Drug Resistance Laboratory possible”, she noted