• The Infectious Disease Units will offer full-fledged services, capacity building, infrastructure and technology to enhance quality of service delivery.

• A €300,000 grant funded facility by French Development Agency (AFD)

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 30 June 2020 - Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania (AKHS,T) and French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement - AFD) today signed a €300,000 grant agreement to establish Infectious Diseases Units (IDU) in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza.

The grant will enable strengthening of the current system to address challenges pertaining to infectious diseases control management. It will enable the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam to respond adequately to pandemics, such as COVID, including addressing issues pertaining to inadequate health infrastructure and capacity.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the French Ambassador and Resident Representative of AKDN, Amin Kurji.

The Infectious Diseases Units will complement the efforts of the Government of Tanzania in reducing the transmission of infectious diseases, support the containment of any pandemics and protect individuals’ risk of severe to critical illness. These units will address the critical need for a safe health care environment, with appropriate facilities that provide quality services for those in need.

The grant of €300,000 is provided as part of the worldwide “COVID-19–Health in Common” initiative launched by the French President and implemented by AFD in response to the worldwide public health crisis caused by the global pandemics.

Mrs Stéphanie Mouen, AFD’s Country Director in Tanzania, said, “The social commitments undertaken by AKHS,T have been decisive in AFD’s decision to participate in the funding of this well thought initiative for AKHS,T and the country. AFD and AKDN have a longstanding partnership going back 12 years to the signing of a partnership agreement and have one common ground: a genuine desire to invest in improving people’s quality of life.”

This €300,000 grant will specifically contribute to four thematic areas:

• Infrastructure development: The increasing demand of infectious disease patients requiring expert clinical care, including diagnostic services and clinical care, will be met by catering to the patients’ needs.
• Facility enhancement: A full-fledged facility to provide modern medical care for patients at affordable costs will be created (the advanced approach to health systems improvement to combat infectious diseases will inform operational research and long-term preparedness for sustainability, as well as any unexpected future outbreaks).
• Capacity building: The Aga Khan Hospital will work closely with the Government of Tanzania  in training of front-line workers in order to enhance their skills, improve practices and competences, especially in various clinical protocols and guidelines for infection prevention and control, as well as for managing suspected and confirmed patients.
• Technology: Leveraging technology and enhancing e-health connectivity between other hospitals and the IDU will enhance the ability of the health system to utilise technology in various aspects of disease prevention and containment.

Speaking during the ceremony, Mr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, Regional Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa, said, “The IDU will enable further collaboration and collective efforts on infection control, containment, case isolation and treatment, and health system responsivity. This new unit at the Aga Khan Hospital, which will build on 90 years of working with the Tanzanian Government, will leverage its technical and implementation capacity to execute the planned care interventions for infectious disease patients.”

For more information, please contact:

The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam                                    
Olayce S. Lotha                                                                       
E-mail: olayce.lotha@akhst.org                                               
+255 717 516 650                                                                 

AFD, Tanzania
Berenice Oreyo-Pierronnet
Email: oreyopierronnetb@afd.fr
+254 759 637 405

NOTES

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan as a private, international, non-denominational development organisation. It employs over 96,000 people in more than 30 countries. The network’s agencies address complex development issues, including the provision of quality healthcare and education services, cultural and economic revitalisation, micro-enterprise, entrepreneurship and economic development, the advancement of civil society and the protection of the environment.

The Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) is one of three agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that support activities in health. The others are the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan University (AKU). Together, the three agencies provide quality healthcare to five million people annually and work closely on planning, training and resource development. AKHS also works with the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) on the integration of health issues into specific projects. AKHS is organised into national service companies in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) funds, supports and accelerates the transitions to a fairer and more sustainable world. Focusing on climate, biodiversity, water, agriculture, urban development, education and health, our teams carry out more than 4,000 projects in 115 countries contributing to the commitment of France to support the sustainable development goals. Present in Tanzania since 2008, AFD group is providing financing solutions and technical assistance (more than €760 mio (1,900 Bn Tzs) over the last 10 years) to support the Tanzanian government, local authorities, private sector and NGOs to reduce economic, social and territorial inequalities through the promotion of sustainable and inclusive development.