Tanzania secures $75 million AfDB loan for cardiovascular sciences centre of excellence
What you need to know:
- A statement issued by AfDB on Thursday, November 28, 2024, says the project's total cost is estimated at $83.3 million, about Sh220.75 billion.
Dar es Salaam. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $75 million loan to Tanzania for funding the second stage of the Centre of Excellence for Skills and Tertiary Education in Biomedical Sciences project.
The loan is equivalent to Sh198.75 billion disbursed for the project scheduled to be implemented over five years (2025-2029).
A statement issued by AfDB on Thursday, November 28, 2024, says the project's total cost is estimated at $83.3 million, about Sh220.75 billion.
The Tanzanian government is expected to provide the remaining $8.33 million, equal to Sh22.07 billion.
“The Bank is supporting the proposed Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular Sciences in Tanzania as it is expected to deliver substantial health-related and economic benefits by improving the management and treatment of cardiovascular disease,” says AfDB’s Country Manager for Tanzania, Ms Patricia Laverley, in a statement issued on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
“By focusing on the training of specialised human resources and the creation of a state-of-the-art cardiology teaching hospital, the project will help to reduce morbidity and mortality rates, improve productivity, and lower healthcare costs,” adds Ms Laverley.
According to the document, the overriding aim is to develop a highly qualified and competitive workforce that can endeavor to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease in Tanzania, the East African Community, and the continent as a whole by supporting the augmentation of skills, infrastructure, and high-quality training.
The statement says the funding approved on November 27, 2024, aims to oversee the construction of a 600-bed cardiology teaching hospital complete with cutting-edge medical equipment.
Furthermore, the statement says it will also facilitate the training of 120 university staff members and 100 students (of which 45 percent will be women in each group) to treat cardiovascular disease patients locally, thereby cutting costs and improving access to treatment for the community.
“The project will also ensure that the Centre of Excellence is fully operational for biomedical sciences training and treating patients with cardiovascular disease; this was achieved during the first phase (construction and execution of the centre's support facilities, including the administrative and training units) on the Mloganzila campus of the public Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS),” according to the statement.
This complex is one of East Africa’s Centres of Excellence for Skills and Tertiary Education in Biomedical Sciences.
Its ultimate objective is to train highly qualified human resources in the cardiovascular sciences (prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation).
The training delivered during the project’s second phase will complement the 38 MUHAS educators trained during the first phase.
About 20 percent of the students will receive a full scholarship, including qualified young people from disadvantaged or low-income socio-economic backgrounds, particularly women and people with disabilities.
