THE soaring number of motorcycle and commuter bus accidents places a burden to the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) as 50 patients are admitted daily.
Previously, the Muhimbili National
Hospital (MNH) was admitting 20 accident patients per day, but since the
emergence of the ‘bodaboda’ transport business, the number of patients
has jumped to 50.
The trend has alarmed the Ministry of
Home Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Community
Development, Gender, Elderly and Children which have decided to mount
joint efforts to combat the problem.
The Minister for Health, Community
Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, said in Dar
es Salaam that despite the shortage of specialist doctors, MOI has been
forced to cope with the situation.
“We have to control the trend by
ensuring that proper road safety measures are being adhered to,” said
Mwalimu when opening a training for Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, and
Traumatology specialists.
She expressed the government commitment
to ensure to control the increasing motorcycle accidents which pose a
burden to not only to the doctors but also the health sector at large.
Tanzania has only eight Orthopaedics,
Neurosurgery, and Traumatology specialists - seven of whom are stationed
at MOI and one at Bugando Referral Hospital in Mwanza. In addressing
the shortage of specialists, the minister said government has a
programme to mobilise medical students to specialise in the field.
“Let me assure you, I will create a
competitive environment which will attract more youth to engage in the
field which will have better remuneration,” she said.
MOI Director Dr Othman Kiloma said
according to research conducted last year in Sub Saharan Africa,
Tanzania loses many people annually due to road accidents.
He said starting April 25, this year, his institute would dispatch specialists upcountry to address the problem.
No comments :
Post a Comment