IOM Donated Equipment Worth 70,000 USD to Murgwanza and Nyamihaga Hospitals in Kagera Region. The donation event took place at Murgwanza hospital in Kagera district on 23 July 2019. IOM was represented by the IOM Chief of Mission (CoM) to Tanzania, Dr. Qasim Sufi, the Head of IOM Sub-Office in Kasulu district and other IOM staff while the Government delegation was led by the Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) for Kagera region, Prof. Faustine KAMZORA, Regional Medical Officer (RMO), Dr Marco MBATA, Kagera District Commissioner (DC) Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Michael MNTENJELE and Directors and staff from both hospitals in the event.

In April 2018, two buses in a IOM road convoy travelling to Burundi under the Voluntary Repatriation Program (VOLREP) had road accident. Six refugees from Burundi and two Tanzanian citizens including a IOM Staff lost their lives in the accident. All accident victims were rushed to the two hospitals where their received emergency medical services.

“If it was not the timely provision of emergency medical services by these two hospitals to the victims of the road accident, the number of deaths could have been higher”, said Dr Qasim Sufi at the beginning of his remarks in the event. “On behalf of IOM in Tanzania, I would like to therefore extend my deepest appreciation to both the management and the staff of the two hospitals”, he added.

An IOM assessment carried out in the two hospitals following the road accident revealed that the two district hospitals in Kagera district along the road to Burundi and Rwanda lack medical equipments that could have boosted their capacity in providing medical services to their beneficiaries. This is especially in domain of emergency medical services. Following the hospital assessment, IOM donated to the two hospitals equipments amounting to circa USD 70,000 (one hundred and forty-three million TZS). Murgwanza hospital received equipments worth one hundred million TZS while Nyamihaga hospital received equipments worth forty-three million TZS.

“This donation of equipment to the two hospitals located almost at the border between Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda shows that IOM as the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency also cares of the local communities. An action that is in line with the overall objective of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in the country”. “It is my sincere hope that, the donation will benefit both local communities as well as migrants and refugees, Dr Qasim Sufi, concluded”.

Regional, district and hospital authorities thanked IOM for the donation of equipments to the two hospitals.   

The event was widely covered by local and national mass media including TV, Radio and newspapers.