Aga Khan University’s Medical College East Africa has introduced Paediatrics and Child Health and Obstetrics and Gynaecology programmes at the Dar es Salaam campus. This brings the total number of Postgraduate Medical Education Programmes to five.
The two new programmes, approved by the Tanzania Commission of Universities, will join the existing Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and General Surgery programmes offered in AKU’s Dar es Salaam campus.
Prof Lukoye Atwoli, Dean, Medical College, East Africa said: “As an institution, our focus is to produce health professional leaders through our unique training programmes, research and innovation and supporting best practice in the delivery of healthcare services in the region. By offering the two new additional programmes, we demonstrate that we will be able to train more specialist doctors who will act as leaders in the medical field not only in Tanzania but in the region.”
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Tanzania’s clinical health workers are 5.2 for every 10,000 people. With a population of over 50 million, this is only one fifth of the optimal ratio as recommended by WHO. Furthermore, during childbirth, about half of all pregnant women do not receive clinical assistance by a doctor, nurse, midwife or maternal and child health aide.
Prof Hussein Kidanto, the Associate Dean, Dar es Salaam Campus said: “We remain focused on the provision of quality medical education geared towards nurturing health professional leaders who will facilitate the attainment of Tanzania's Development Vision 2025 that calls for access to quality reproductive health care services for all individuals of appropriate ages in our country.”
Dr Munawar Kaguta will chair the Obstetrics and Gynaecology programme while Dr Mariam Noorani will chair the Paediatrics and Child Health programme.
The new programmes will be delivered through a partnership arrangement between the Aga Khan University and the Aga Khan Health Services of Tanzania, which are both agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network.
