Dodoma. The Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) has said it continues building capacity to provide health services to patients from within and outside the country, whilst also preparing to serve sportspeople who will participate in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament.
That step has been described as part of the strategy to position Tanzania well to become a hub for super-specialised health services in Africa, alongside national preparations for the tournament.
Addressing journalists in Dodoma on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, MOI executive director, Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya, said the institute has strengthened specialists, medical equipment and infrastructure to meet the needs of international patients and sportspeople.
He said in financial year 2025/26, MOI served a total of 211,359 patients, including 202,000 outpatients (OPD) and 9,359 inpatients (IPD).
“This institute has continued providing various specialist and super-specialist services, including brain surgery using artificial intelligence, keyhole sampling, inserting cement into fractured spinal vertebrae, pain therapy, reconstructive surgery for paralysed limbs and surgery to remove brain tumours through nostrils,” said Dr Ulisubisya.
He mentioned other services as keyhole knee surgery, stroke treatment, chronic back pain treatment and a system enabling patients to book appointments online.
According to Dr Ulisubisya, the introduction of those services has reduced orthopaedic patient referrals by 98 percent and brain ones by 97 percent.
He said 2,282 patients received specialist and super-specialist services, a step that helped the government save Sh121.99 billion, which would have been spent had those patients been treated abroad.
Medical tourism
Dr Ulisubisya said MOI has continued receiving patients from various nations due to the presence of experienced specialists, modern equipment and excellent service delivery systems.
In the year 2025/26, he said MOI served 270 patients from Comoros, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He said that step shows an increase in Tanzania’s capacity to provide specialist and super-specialist health services to patients from abroad.
Afcon 2027
Regarding Afcon 2027 preparations, Dr Ulisubisya said MOI is prepared to provide services to sportspeople who sustain injuries or require health checks during that tournament.
He said MOI has over six super-specialist doctors specialising in sports medicine, who received training in various nations, and some of them serve the national team alongside the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
He also said MOI has prepared a special clinic for international patients, 25 modern rooms for patients with special needs alongside modern equipment including MRI, CT Scan, Cathlab, Arthroscopic Towers, Brain Lab, Digital X-Ray, Ultrasound and equipment for brain and spine surgery.
“The MOI Emergency Department is prepared to provide services during the tournament period. We did so during the CHAN tournament, and we believe we will do so during this tournament as well,” he said.
He said MOI is ready to provide services in areas involved with that tournament, including Zanzibar, Arusha and Dar es Salaam.
Regarding infrastructure, Dr Ulisubisya said construction of the new OPD building worth Sh13.8 billion has reached 55 percent, whilst renovation of MOI Annex worth Sh2.1 billion has reached 99 percent.
Furthermore, renovation of 25 special patient rooms for Sh920 million was carried out to increase capacity to provide services to local and international patients, including medical tourism and Afcon 2027 preparations.
“MOI is prepared to ensure all sportspeople participating in Afcon 2027 who encounter injury challenges or require health checks receive quality specialist and super-specialist services of international standard,” said Dr Ulisubisya.
Other projects include renovation of the paediatric ICU worth Sh398.2 million and construction of a 10-tonne oxygen tank for Sh495 million, which has been completed and put to use.
Training and plans
Dr Ulisubisya said MOI, in collaboration with Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Muhas), continues providing training to specialists in various fields of orthopaedics, neurology, brain surgery, anaesthesia and pain management.
In that year, seven specialists were facilitated to study abroad in specialist and super-specialist fields, whilst 199 staff members were promoted, 15 re-categorised and 112 employed.
Regarding research, MOI published 36 scientific publications in peer-reviewed international journals.
Dr Ulisubisya said for the coming period MOI aims to continue improving services towards achieving international accreditations, constructing a modern medical and spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre at Mbweni Mpiji, commencing service delivery at MOI Annex Upanga and bringing services closer to citizens through mobile outreach service centres in various regions.
“These steps are part of MOI’s strategy to continue providing safe, quality, efficient and patient-centred services, whilst strengthening Tanzania’s position in specialist and super-specialist health services,” said Dr Ulisubisya.
