Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 9 March 2019 - Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), today launched the completion of the second phase of a US$ 83.5 million (TZS 192 billion) expansion of the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam, which will enable the institution to serve over one million patients each year.

The expansion, funded by a US$ 53.5 million (TZS 134 billion) loan from the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement - AFD) and a US$ 26.3 million (TZS 58 billion) contribution from the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), transforms the previous 74-bed facility to a leading 170-bed tertiary care, referral and teaching centre that will serve as an integrated health care medical facility for Tanzania and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. The second phase development also marks a countrywide expansion of AKHS with 35 outreach health centres, 23 of which are already operational.

“I am pleased that the hospital today employs some of the most qualified and competent human resources, supplemented by world-class technical expertise, and will offer specialised programmes … which will also respond to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases in Tanzania,” noted Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Member of the Board of Directors of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), in a speech given on the occasion of the expansion’s opening. “I am delighted that this advanced facility will allow Tanzanians to receive world-class treatment at home thereby reversing medical tourism and also encouraging medical tourism from the region.”

The expansion of the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam is a testament to the steadfast partnership between the Government of Tanzania, the French Development Agency, (AFD) and AKDN to improve the quality, consistency and equitable delivery of healthcare in the country.  The hospital will play an essential role in cementing Tanzania as a regional leader in the provision of world-class healthcare and education. In growing its educational programme, the hospital will now house 64 medical residents and 60 interns each year. In addition to its state of the art specialised diagnostic services, such as cardiac catheterisation and nuclear medicine, the hospital will also offer over 30 clinical specialties and subspecialties, including Cardiology, Oncology, Family Medicine, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Gynaecology, Nephrology, Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics and Neonatology. The Phase 2 expansion along with 35 outreach centres will create 806 new jobs.

“By choosing to support the health sector among others, France shows its confidence in Tanzania in the key field of development. It is also a pride to work in close partnership and trust with the Aga Khan Development Network which has always lived up to its ambitions,” noted Honourable Ambassador of the French Republic, Mr. Frédéric Clavier.

During his address, Prime Minister of Tanzania, Hon. Kassim Majaliwa expressed his happiness with the new facilities. “The Aga Khan Hospital currently offers high-quality services in heart, cancer, neuroscience, maternal and child health and other emergency services. I have personally seen the investment in this building and witnessed the project coming to fruition. I have been informed by many patients that this hospital provides the highest quality of health care.”

This most recent expansion builds on the long history of successful cooperation between AFD and AKDN. In the health sector alone, the partnership has resulted in the building of the Heart and Cancer Centre of the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, financial and technical support for the French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC) in Kabul and a US$ 83.5 million programme to improve health facilities in Tanzania.

For more information, please contact:

AKHS, Tanzania: Olayce Lotha
Communications Officer 
olayce.lotha@akhst.org  

AFD: Mrs. Bérénice Oreyo-Pierronnet
oreyopierronnetb.ext@afd.fr

NOTES

The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam was stablished in 1964 as a private, not-for-profit institution that provides primary, secondary and tertiary level health care services in Tanzania. In 2016, the Hospital was internationally recognised for its quality of services when it received the Joint Commission International certification, making it the only hospital in Tanzania to receive this distinction. The hospital is part of the AKDN Health System in twelve countries, which provides community health programmes covering over 500 health facilities, including 20 hospitals that provide quality health care to more than five million patients annually.

The Aga Khan Development Network was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan as a private, international, non-denominational development organisation. It employs over 80,000 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 Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is an inclusive public financial institution and the main actor in France’s development policy. It makes commitments to projects that genuinely improve the everyday lives of people, in developing and emerging countries and in the French overseas territories. AFD works in many sectors – energy, health, biodiversity, water, digital technologies, training – and supports the transition to a safer, more equitable and more sustainable world: a world in common. Its action is fully in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through its network of 85 agencies, AFD operates in 110 countries and is currently supporting over 3,600 development projects. In 2017, it earmarked EUR 10.4bn to finance these projects.