Patients shifted as Amana Hospital made Covid-19 centre

Dar es Salaam. The government has shifted all patients who were receiving treatment at Amana Referral Hospital in Ilala District to other hospitals to give space for the facility to take care of patients suffering from Covid-19.

The move comes hardly a day after Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu directed the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) to stop attending to patients with the symptoms of the Covid-19 so that the national health facility can focus on its obligation of providing specialised health services to patients suffering from other diseases.

Speaking to the staff of Amana Hospital shortly after visiting it yesterday, the Health ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Zainab Chaula, said all the patients who were receiving treatment at the hospital have been shifted to other government hospitals in Dar es Salaam. The hospitals were not specified though.

Dr Chaula said the government has released Sh200 million for minor renovations of buildings at Amana Hospital.

“I have visited this hospital to assess preparations for handling Covid-19 patients including the preparations for health workers and thorough cleansing so that the area can get improved,’’ she said.

“We started removing the patients on Thursday. As of today (yesterday) all of them are not there,” said Dr Chaula.

Until Friday April 17, Tanzania recorded 53 new cases of novel coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of patients that have tested positive to 147.