Over 2000 Morogoro residents get free health services from Turkish agency

Dar es Salaam. Over 2,000 people received dental and medical treatment in Morogoro region as part of a free health services arrangement supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (Tika).

People from all walks of life thronged the Mchikichini A and Mchikichini B Primary schools, where health experts from Tika had camped to render free health consultations, testing and treatment.

This comes after Tika deployed a group of 15 volunteers and 10 dentists from Turkey who have been in Morogoro for two weeks giving health services to Tanzanians.

The initiative went along with providing support to children in Upanga, where there is a children’s retention home in Dar es Salaam, as part of the Turkish cooperation and support programs to African countries.

Upanga Children Retention home was established in 1962 with the aim of retaining accused children below 18 years old who are in conflict with laws.

The home was established purposely to ensure children are separated from the group of accused adult detention.

According to the Upanga Retention home Manager Darivs Kalijongo, during the month of June 2019 there were a number of children charged with different criminal offences.

There were three murder cases, seven armed robbery cases, six theft cases, three for possession of cannabis, three unnatural offence (sodomy) cases, one body assault case and one rape case.

Mr Kalijongo mentioned the challenges that face the Upanga Retention Home, such as absence of relevant programs for supporting children’s behavior modification, and a small budget for fuel to take and collect children from courts located outside the city including Chalinze (Msoga), Bagamoyo, Mkuranga, Kisarawe and Kibaha.

Mr Kalijongo also thanked other partners and good Samaritans from different parts of Dar es Salaam and beyond, including Tanganyika Law Society, WILAC, Ilala Municipal Council and the social welfare committee for their material and moral support to the retention home.

Tika has provided television set and decoders, computers, desks, solar energy, beds and mattresses, renovation of the retention home with pavement and painting of the home for the children.

Tika’S Country Director Halil Ibrahim Okur the agency is implementing many projects in other African countries and Tanzania is important to them.

He said they are implementing this project to support government initiatives and showing solidarity.

Mr Okur added that Tika decided to provide equipment to the children’s retention home so that the children can benefit and use them for their betterment as they continue with social cultural and education activities in the retention home.

Currently 10 Turkish dentists are volunteering in providing health service at Muhimbili National Hospital as part of Tika’s program.