Health boost as MUHAS churns out 878 graduates

DAILY NEWS Reporter

RELIEF is in sight for the health sector after 878 students from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) successfully graduated in different medical disciplines.

The move is expected to reduce the serious shortage of health experts currently facing the country. MUHAS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Efatha Kaaya commended the government support and initiatives in producing new health experts to be dispatched to different parts of the country with high demand to improve services.

Statistics show that available health experts account for about 50 per cent of the country’s demand, with rural areas mostly hit by shortage of medical experts.

Prof Kaaya said during the 9th graduation ceremony held in Dar es Salaam at the weekend and graced by the university’s Chancellor, former President Ali Hasan Mwinyi, that in the list there are graduates from 10 African countries.

The countries include Cameroon, Burundi, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland and Zambia. “This is a good progress reached in the health sector and more strides will be reached after the continued investments in the sector area realised,” he said.

As for the award breakdown, 323 students were awarded with diplomas in various disciplines, 10 received post-graduate diplomas; and 351 were awarded first degrees as 220 got their master’s degrees while two were awarded with doctor of philosophy degrees.

He said in the 2015/16 academic year, MUHAS has admitted 1,085 students to pursue various degrees in medical disciplines, which is 13 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The number of students is expected to go to about 15,000 from 3,500 currently after the new campus and hospital in Mloganzila is opened in June next year. The construction process is in the final stages.

One of the challenges facing the Muhimbili Campus is the dilapidated buildings, making it impossible to admit the huge number of students. Also the bureaucratic process of recruiting graduates into the labour force has been discouraging most experts.

“We ask the government to look again into the recruitment procedures and improve working standards of health experts that would attract many to work hard,” he added.