Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital will effective today start offering free specialised health services at all regional hospitals in the Lake Zone, as part of its 50th anniversary commemorations.
The Hospital’s Director General, Dr Fabian Massaga said over the weekend during the launch of the commemorations that, the aim is to serve those who have been unable to travel for access to specialised health services in Mwanza.
Dr Massaga said patients whose cases will be proved complicated, will be referred to Bugando for further treatments.
The director affirmed that in Mwanza, specialised services will be offered in Ilemela and Nyamagana districts.
He added that Bugando has advanced in terms of specialised health services provision in various areas, including cancer, heart, ear-nose-throat (ENT) as well as neurosurgery.
“We have also specialists for plastic surgeries and soon, the hospital will start offering MRI services,” he said, explaining further that:
Bugando is currently serving patients from not only Lake Zone, but also Tabora and Kigoma regions as well as neighbouring Kenya, Uganda Rwanda, Burundi and DRC.
It was further noted that Bugando serves an estimate of 358,390 out and 28,993 in-patients on annual basis. The number of referrals from Bugando to the Muhimbili National Hospital is also reportedly decreasing due to the presence of specialists in various departments.
Launching the commemorations, Nyamagana District Commissioner (DC), Ms Amina Makilagi commended Bugando’s advancements, including initiation construction of cancer facility in the hospital’s premises.
She said presence of the facility will to the large extent solve cancer-related cases, whose number seems to have been increasing in the Lake Zone.
The DC said that the government appreciates the move and has set aside 1bn/- fund to support the efforts.
“We also congratulate Bugando staffs, who have been voluntarily contributing to this cancer facility, whose operations set to take-off end of this year. I’m also glad to see that is Bugando among the centers for Covid-19 vaccine and people are positively responding,” she said.
She urged members of the public to avoid misinformation on the vaccine, saying that all vaccines have been imported from outside African and no one has ever caused harm.
“We have also ARVs for people living with HIV/AIDS. The drugs are always imported and users are doing well. Let people have information only from experts, so as to fight corona pandemic,” she said.
