THE Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) has said that due to robust investment done at the emergency department including modern equipment and specialists, patient deaths have decreased by over 40 percent.

Prof. Mohamed Janabi, MNH executive director unveiled this yesterday in Dar es Salaam during the celebration to mark the World Emergency Medicine Day held at the hospital.

He said that patients who die at the emergency department is less than 0.5 percent thus having 99 percent assurance of patient survival as patients receive needed services on time.

Prof. Janabi said the hospital serves 150 to 200 emergency patients per day.

“Every day, we touch the lives of mothers, fathers, children and this is our priority, serving people and restoring smiles to families and the nation,” he said.

Prof. Janabi said that the emergency department is crucial as it handles patients with various health challenges, especially accident victims who lose a lot of blood, however, through the emergency department, the lives of the victims have been saved due to the efficiency of skilled nurses and the availability of sufficient modern medical equipment.

He stated that in the past, many patients in this department used to lose their lives, but since the establishment of emergency medicine, although all on-duty doctors gathered in the emergency department, there was no training in emergency medicine.

He mentioned that in the emergency medicine departments of all Muhimbili hospitals, there are 63 adult beds and 19 children’s beds.

He said that the city of Dar es Salaam is growing rapidly, with the population increasing to six million, and many tall buildings have been constructed. However, there are challenges with rescue equipment when a disaster occurs.

 “We take the size and population growth of this city very seriously. Our goal is to collaborate with others, such as the fire department, to prepare and have adequate equipment and specialists when a disaster occurs to save lives,” said Prof. Janabi.

He added that MNH is also preparing to have proper ambulances equipped with the necessary facilities to help treat patients on the way before they reach the emergency department at the hospital for further treatments.

“We want to have ambulances with essential facilities for the specific illness, not just vehicles without equipment, as we will be able to help the patient on the way or even before reaching the hospital. At MNH, we start with dreams, but we make sure dreams are realized,” he said.

Prof. Janabi also called on all MNH staff to always be ready to deal with disasters, especially with the significant increase in various disasters, including natural and man-made disasters worldwide.

Prof. Hendry Sawe, executive director of Abbott Fund Tanzania pledged that the foundation will continue working with the government in various areas including building capacity for medical equipment specialists and addressing some of the hitches that will be identified in the future.

He said Abbott Fund has worked with the government since 2001 to strengthen the country’s healthcare system. In 2009, after upgrading outpatient care and completing a nationwide hospital lab modernization programme, a partnership commenced introducing emergency medicine in Tanzania.

He added that the Abbott Fund has invested in creating training centres in five regions in the country, including Dodoma, Mwanza, and Mbeya, to ensure the centres provide training and focus on teaching emergency medicine to various health workers to ensure they can offer these training when needed.

The International Emergency Medicine Day is commemorated every year on 27th May where this year’s theme is: Climate Change and Health Impact in Emergency Medical Care’.