AS Tanzania eyes to become the regional medical tourism hub, Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Rwanda and Zambia to bring cardiovascular patients in the country for treatments.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held Dar es Salaam, the JKCI Director Dr Peter Kisenge said that the move will enable them to exchange treatments between the countries as well as providing training to Rwanda and Zambia health experts.
The Director said that in a month, JKCI receives about 20 patients from different countries and added that: “Patients are coming from Malawi, Comoros, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda and Burundi. We also received patients from Norway, England, India and Poland for medical tourism,” Dr Kisenge says.
He insists: “We actually serve the whole world and not only Africa.”
Equally, he said according to their 2022 statistics, JKCI treated 150,000 patients of which 600 patients underwent major surgery and 1,456 minor surgeries.
Dr Kisenge said that due to the present improvement of Cardiac services in the country, only 2 percent of people get referrals to be treated abroad.
“The government has invested a lot in human resources and infrastructure thus making JKCI to be a leading institution in Africa for heart treatment,” he says.
