Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 8 June 2017 - Princess Zahra Aga Khan and Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, Acting Director of Curative Services at the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children today jointly opened a new state-of-the-art laboratory and a low cost inpatient unit at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam.

Additional and expanded facilities within the hospital are being established as part of the Phase 2 Expansion of the hospital alongside the on-going construction of the new 14,000 m² wing. The total cost of the expansion is approximately US$ 80 million, which includes a Tzs 120 billion (US$ 53.5million) loan facility from the French Development Agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and a Tzs 60 billion   (US$ 26.3 million) grant from the Aga Khan Development Network.

The new state-of-the-art medical laboratory in Tanzania is designed, built and equipped to the highest international standards, catering to routine and specialised tests within healthcare services.  The facility will enable the Aga Khan Hospital to expand laboratory services with the introduction of advanced testing for blood transfusion medicines, coagulation studies, TB and molecular biology laboratory and cancer diagnostics in the country.

According to Dr. Omer Sherman, the Director of Laboratory, the new facility has now been recommended for accreditation by internationally recognised ISO 15189:2012 – standards specific for Medical Laboratories. “The accreditation along with the already established quality management system, innovatory equipment and competent personnel will allow the hospital to provide comprehensive, appropriate, and timely investigations of the highest quality, serving our patients more effectively.”

Also inaugurated was a 20-bed general inpatient low cost unit, increasing access for more patients. According to Sisawo Konteh the Chief Operating Officer, “the unit like other services in the hospital, will provide the same quality care and international standards in terms of space, utilities and other aspects of management, clinical and support services.”

The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam is the only hospital in Tanzania to be accredited by the Joint Commission International for its high patient quality and safety standards.  In Africa, there are nine such hospitals (including the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi).  These hospitals have been accredited after a rigorous evaluation of medical practices, facilities and standards relating to patient care that is safe and of high quality.

Agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network provide health services in Tanzania to nearly 400,000 people a year through its hospital, health centres, community health programmes, and medical training initiatives. The goal is to work with government agencies and other partners to improve the quality of health care in the country.

For further information please contact:

Olayce. S. Lotha
Communications and Marketing Manager
The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam
Email: olayce.lotha@akhst.org
Tel: +255 717 516 650

Internationally:

Sam Pickens

Deputy Director, AKDN Communications
P.O. Box 2369, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Web: www.akdn.org/health/
E-mail: info@akdn.org
Tel: +41 22 909 7200