ZANZIBAR First Vice-President Othman Masoud Othman has promised that the government will find solutions to challenges facing the Isles Neurosurgical unit.
He made the promise at the occasion to officially open the international Neuro-oncology brain hemisphere anatomy training here over the weekend.
“The government is committed to address the shortage of medical equipment, medicines, and other facilities at Mnazi Mnazi Mmoja Referral Hospital, including the neuro-oncology unit in order to provide the people with better health care,” Othman said when officiating the training.
At least 32 participants- Medical doctors, neurosurgical students, and specialists, from Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Turkey, US, Belgium, Spain, Norway and hosts Tanzania attended the four-day training held at Mnazi Mmoja Referral Hospital. The training is supported by Neurosurgical Education and Development (NED) Foundation of Spain.
Mr Othman said the government is aware of the challenges facing the neuro unit and that it was already working to address them through the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) supported project, which has renovated hospital buildings and installed equipment in line.
“President Hussein Mwinyi has also promised to employ more doctors and other health workers,” he said, adding that the government recognizes and appreciates the efforts of medical personnel in the country in serving the people of Zanzibar and elsewhere.
He challenged the medical practitioners to continue with efforts to improve quality of health services in the country.
Mr Othman said the training facilitated by specialists and doctors from the United States, Belgium, Spain and Turkey would enable Zanzibar doctors to provide better care in the country and help governments and citizens reduce medical costs to travel abroad for treatment.
He noted that since the inception of the Neuro Surgical Unit at Mnazi Hospital in 2014, it has achieved great success including successful head and spine surgery in about 1,850 cases linked to headaches, head injuries, back pain and fluid headaches.
Minister for Health Mr Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, said that the government supports capacity building for medical personnel because it is important in improving health services.
“Efforts are being made to ensure most problems in all hospitals such lack reliable x-ray services are fixed,” he said.
Executive Director at Mnazi Mmoja Referral Hospital Dr Msafir Marijan said that the main objective of the training which ended yesterday was to improve skills of neurosurgeons in diagnosis and management of brain cancers.