Mkapa hospital set to offer kidney transplant services

Dodoma. Plans are in place for the Dodoma-based Benjamin Mkapa Hospital to start kidney transplant and other complex medical surgeries.

This is expected to save a lot of Tanzanians the agony and cost of travelling to Dar es Salaam or overseas for treatment for such ailments.

The state-of-the-art hospital, which is located at the University of Dodoma (Udom), will become the first hospital in the central zone to perform such surgeries using latest technology. Currently, the hospital provides hemodialysis treatment, attracting various kidney failure patients from across the country.

According to Dr Ainory Gesase from the Udom’s College of Health Sciences, the development is in line with the relocation of the government from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, which is the country’s capital.

“Kidney transplants are rarely performed in our big hospitals and this procedure involves paying plenty of money. Dodoma will experience a significant increase in human population in the near future, thus prompting assurance of effective treatment on kidney complications,” he told The Citizen on the sideline of the 4th Annual Conference of Nephrologists Society of Tanzania (Nesot).

He revealed that cigarette smoking, obesity and excessive use of alcohol have been contributing in the rise of kidney problems.

Last week, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Faustine Ndugulile, told nephrologists in the region that the government was planning to draft a special policy on the transplant of solid organs in an effort to step up health service delivery in the country.

Dr Ndugulile said the envisaged policy would target to foster kidney transplant and other kidney-related ailments in Tanzania.