TANZANIA: IN Tanzania, where access to reliable medical technology is often limited, a pioneering initiative has emerged to strengthen healthcare services from the ground up.
To reinforce this, the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), through its Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program, has been empowering Tanzania’s biomedical engineering workforce, setting a new standard in healthcare support across the nation.
By training biomedical engineers and technicians to manage and maintain essential medical equipment, KOFIH has helped reshape the future of healthcare, enhancing diagnostics, treatment, and overall patient outcomes in Tanzania.
The field of biomedical engineering (BME) plays a crucial role in ensuring that healthcare systems run smoothly by keeping lifesaving equipment functional and accessible. BME is a powerful convergence discipline that uses an intersectional approach to address some of the world’s toughest health challenges. For low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Tanzania, strengthening BME is not only essential for effective health system functioning but is also a direct pathway toward achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and equitable healthcare.
Since 2015, KOFIH has led a capacity-building program called the Capacity Enhancement of Medical Equipment Technical Services (CEOMETS) to foster a new generation of highly skilled biomedical technicians and engineers. This intensive four-week course includes 178 credit hours, with 42.7 per cent focused on theory and 46.1 per cent dedicated to practical skills in equipment maintenance and repair. To date, CEOMETS has trained over 250 biomedical engineers and technicians from across Tanzania, including Zanzibar, delivering essential skills to a workforce that is now better equipped to handle the technical demands of modern healthcare.
The CEOMETS programme also identifies top performing participants, providing them with the opportunity to further their training in the Republic of Korea. These individuals undergo three months of specialized, hands-on training at hospitals and manufacturing facilities, where they deepen their understanding of advanced medical equipment maintenance and assembly techniques. This advanced training has become a transformative experience for many, equipping Tanzanian engineers with both the technical and leadership skills needed to manage the demands of today’s healthcare technology.
A significant milestone in this journey was the recent graduation of Tanzania’s first KOFIH-supported biomedical engineer with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Yonsei University in the Republic of Korea.
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After returning to Tanzania, this trailblazing professional was appointed head of the Technical Services Directorate at Muhimbili National Hospital, Mlonganzila, marking a historic achievement for the country’s biomedical engineering sector.
As the first biomedical engineer in Tanzania to reach this level of academic and professional accomplishment through KOFIH support, he stands as an inspiration for others in the field, showing what is possible with dedication, skill, and international collaboration.
KOFIH’s Dr. Lee Jong wook Fellowship Program has had a ripple effect across Tanzania’s healthcare system, not only enhancing individual skills but also highlighting the critical importance of BME to policymakers. The Tanzanian government, along with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Technical Services, and the President’s Office of Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), have all recognized the transformative potential of BME. With this awareness growing, there is a vital opportunity to create national-level policies that prioritize investment in BME, potentially attracting further support from international donors.
Acknowledgments go to the Ministry of Health, the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government, and the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program, along with universities such as Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and Arusha Technical College, for their role in educating and supporting Tanzania’s biomedical engineering sector. Recognition also goes to the Association of Medical Engineers and Technicians in Tanzania for its commitment to institutional and individual capacity building, which has been instrumental in promoting the visibility and sustainability of BME in Tanzania.
Through these coordinated efforts, Tanzania is witnessing a healthcare transformation. By fostering local expertise in biomedical engineering, the country is creating a foundation for equitable and sustainable healthcare, where advanced medical equipment is not a luxury but a basic right.
