THE Chinese government on Wednesday donated a number of medical equipment worth more than 140m/- to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) through the Chinese medical team working in the facility.
Some of the items presented by the team to the hospital includes ventilator, oxygen machine, centrifuge, the overall reflection light shadowless lamp, high frequency electricity knife, portable autoclaves (electric) and keratometer.
Prof Lawrence Museru, MNH Executive Director, who received the donations at the hospital, said that the institution has worked with China for many years through the Chinese medical team.
“We are grateful for the medical supplies we received today, and we thank the Chinese medical team for support not only in medical practice, but also in equipment. We have received equipment from the Chinese medical team many times.
This has helped us to give support to our people and that is something we are grateful for,” said Prof Museru.
Meng Yong, the head of the Chinese medical team, who handed over the medical supplies to the hospital, said the donation is a further sign of the Chinese and Tanzanian governments’ long-standing medical collaboration.
“We donated this medical equipment to MNH today because we are friends, brothers and sisters,” Meng Yong, the Chinese medical team’s leader, said.
He explained that the donation is intended to strengthen bilateral collaboration as well as provide assistance in the treatment of prevalent disorders in Tanzania.
The Chinese government has been sending medical teams to Tanzania to give medical services to the Tanzanian people since March 1968. It is an example of Tanzania and China’s long-standing fraternal links.
During the past 41 years, 948 Chinese doctors and supportting members in 20 Chinese medical teams have provided medical services in different regions in Tanzania. Each team stays in Tanzania for two years.
At its peak in the early years, number of team members was large with 86 as the largest.
Chinese doctors have been working in 19 regions including Dodoma, Tabora, Musoma, Newala, Mtwara, Lindi, Kigoma, Shinyanga, Mbeya, Morogoro, Singida and Dar es Salaam and some remote villages.