Tanzania to build Sh7 billion hospital for handling epidemics

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania government has said it’s building a Sh7 billion health facility that will specifically handle patients from epidemic diseases including coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children said in a statement that the hospital located at Kisoka, near Mloganzila Hospital in Dar es Salaam will have a capacity to admit up to 200 patients.

“This facility will have all modern health equipment required for handling epidemics such as coronavirus,” said the ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Zainab Chaula as he briefed the team of 14 permanent secretaries who are members of the national committee for fighting coronavirus (Covid-19).

The project is expected to be completed in six months but the first phase will see some buildings finished by April 30, 2020.

The hospital is being constructed by the Suma JKT – the economic wing of the national service army.

“Some 389 soldiers have been deployed on the site and we hope it will be done in six months from now,” said the project manager Colonel Solomoni Shausi.

The establishment of the hospital comes as Tanzania is taking measures to control the spread of coronavirus which is now a global disaster.

Tanzania has confirmed 25 cases with one death and five people having recovered. Other patients are receiving health care in special centres and some are in isolation centres for follow up.

Another facility which was designed special for dealing with Covid-19 in Kibaha is also said to be complete and can accommodate 40 patients.