THE government has saved 2.3bn/- after the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) started offering kidney transplant services where a total of 31 patients have been successfully served in the past three years.
Citing the Sixth Phase Government achievements in Dodoma over the weekend, the BMH Managing Director Dr Alphonce Chandika said that during two years of President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan in power the BMH has strengthened health services, notably the kidney transplant services.
“We have managed to save 2.3 bn/- by transplanting kidneys to 31 patients, we have spent around 25m/- for each patient whereas if they were treated in India one patient would have cost 100m/-. For the 31 patients the government would have spent more than 3.1bn/-,” he said.
Dr Chandika also said during the two years of the sixth phase government, BMH has succeeded in providing services for heart, nerve and brain complications as well as carrying out hip and knee transplants.
“Within these two years, we have served 58 patients by performing hip and knee implants and more than 900 patients have received brain and nerve surgery services,” he said.
He said since 2020, a total of 56 patients have undergone hip and knee surgery and implants at an average cost of 12m/- compared to 35m/- charged abroad, hence saving almost 1.9 bn/-.
“BMH is the only hospital in the country which has succeeded establishing kidney stones procedure which uses high-energy sound waves to blast the stones into fragment without operating a patient and already 148 patients have been treated at a cost of 1.2m/- per patient compared to the cost of 7m/- abroad, saving over 850m/-,” said Dr Chandika.
During this period, BMH also received development funds from the government for improvement of infrastructures and the purchase of medical equipment and reagents to improve health services.
“We have received 2bn/- from the IMF and Covid-19 funds. The money has helped us to improve our Intensive Care Unit room (ICU) by purchasing medical equipment as well as the emergency and casualty services equipment,” he said.
“These funds have also enabled the training of emergency, Intensive Care and Radiology services experts as well as buying two ambulances,” he added.
He also added that during the two years the government improved residential houses for BMH employees, purchased an oxygen treatment plant and a shuttle for transporting employees to and from work.
On the other hand, Dr Chandika noted that for the year 2022/23 BMH has started the construction of a radiation and cancer treatment centre at a cost of approximately 28bn/- and the government has already provided 2.9 bn/- as an initial payment to the contractor and the construction has reached 15.6 per cent.
On her part, the Dodoma Regional Commissioner Rosemary Senyamule said during the two years of President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan in power, the region has improved and become better in social services including health.
“I congratulate the BMH for continuing to provide various quality health services to the residents of Dodoma as well as other regions that have been relying on medical services from them” said Senyamule.
