Upskilling professionals for sustainable healthcare in Tanzania

More than 100 healthcare professionals from across the country have been trained over the last two years through a specialized program for medical engineers and radiographers, offered at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH). A partnership between the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, Pacific Diagnostics, and Siemens Healthineers is boosting learning and capacity building to enhance patient outcomes and strengthen the country’s healthcare system. “Healthcare for everyone, everywhere also means easing the burden on healthcare professionals,” explains Mohamed Shawky Elmashtoly, Sales Country Manager for Middle East and Africa from Siemens Healthineers.

Rachel Mhaville, MD, Director of Surgical Services at MNH says: “This kind of intensive training program is really the most pressing need. We’re learning how to utilize advanced medical systems not only to improve patient outcomes but also to enhance the overall productivity of the hospital.”

For about two years now, the MNH team has been undergoing regular training and receiving continuous medical updates supported by various stakeholders. A group of 34 biomedical engineers conducted a three-week onsite training course in Tanzania, followed by a week at a training center in Germany. Continuous application training resulted in more than 100 trained medical professionals improving their qualification level. And these training efforts are about to be extended for another five years. Siemens Healthineers runs these training programs in partnership with Pacific Diagnostics—and the model is a great success! 

“These training sessions advance the ability of our team to master imaging equipment such as in low-dose CT scans, performing advanced imaging, such as in cardiac CT and MRI,” explains Frederick Lyimo, MD, Head of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging. 

Radiographer Betty Hubert is now able to perform up to 20 different examinations per day.

Prashant Gokarn, Managing Director at Pacific Diagnostics, sums up: “With these training programs, together, Siemens Healthineers and Pacific Diagnostics are giving the hospital´s healthcare staff the necessary skills, helping them to upgrade to international levels.”

Initiatives like these help tackle some of the country’s challenges, but others persist. Health financing, for instance, remains a central issue. International donors still contribute up to 40 percent of the health budget. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)—a state health insurance fund into which contributions from the entire population are supposed to flow—is just at the beginning of its development. As of December 2019, NHIF’s membership coverage stood at 9 percent of the total population of Tanzania.[7] This is far from enough to cover the increasing treatment costs, especially for chronic diseases.