Arusha
Elective Africa has recently launched its Tanzania program with several hospitals in Arusha including the main regional hospital, Mt. Meru Regional Hospital
About Arusha: Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania and is the capital of the Arusha region, with a population of approximately 1.3 million. Arusha is surrounded by some of the most fascinating and varied national parks in Africa, hence referred to as the safari capital of the country and sits snugly on the foothills of Mount Meru, on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley. Arusha has a mild climate and is close to Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Parks, and Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Arusha also has its own National Park, tucked behind the wide coffee plantations that flank the Moshi Road, which spans a curious landscape of lakes and craters, including a large portion of Mount Meru, and provides a scenic and quiet haven just a few minutes drive from the town centre.
An old German garrison town in the middle of Maasailand, Arusha is vibrant, colourful and thriving in its role as the northern centre for commerce and safari operations. Arusha was once the centre for the East African Community, an alliance between Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda; and remains an important centre for business and commerce in northern Tanzania.
As you arrive, whether by air or by road, panoramic views of the surrounding countryside reveal a fertile and well-cultivated land lush with plantations of coffee, maize, beans, and wheat, alongside greenhouses and fields growing fresh flowers for export. This productivity is reflected in Arusha's markets and on most street corners, where amazingly large avocados, tomatoes and maize cobs are among the crops offered for sale.
About our Arusha Program:We have program placement privileges with the main hospital in that region, Mt. Meru Regional Hospital and hospitals under the Arusha municipal council, department of health, including Kaloleni, Ngarenaro and Levolosi hospitals.
- Mt. Meru Regional Hospital has a bed capacity of 450 beds. There are several clinical departments which include Internal Medicine, Surgical, Obstetrics and Gynaecology which serves approximately 80 mothers per day, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, Radiology, Pathology, Mental Health, Anaesthesia, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy. The Hospital has three operating theatres, the major, an obstetrical theatre and an ophthalmic theatre. A blood bank is also available in the general laboratory.
- Kaloleni is very busy with a patient volume of 600 patients per day and the cathment area is pretty much all of Arusha municipality. Areas of practice include internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and minor theatre. Major surgeries are referred to Mt. Meru Regional Hospital. Other areas include eye clinic, dental unit, laboratory, reproductive and child health, and Care and Treatment of HIV unit which has over 1,000 registered clients making this hospital also ideal for those interested in Tropical Medicine & Infectious Diseases. Dr. Kimaro is the medical incharge and is very welcoming to our students and residents that are eager to learn
- Ngarenaro is a primary health facility that provides the entire range of services you would expect in a primary health facility, but is ideal for those interested in Women’s Health and Reproductive Health areas. Started originally as a women’s health center, it currently caters to all kinds of primary health matters, but given its women’s health history, it has almost exclusively become a women’s and reproductive health hospital. It is so popular that it cannot meet the demands for its services. Every morning, the first 100 women who line up for its services are counted and accepted into the facility with the rest asked to come another day. At Ngarenaro, you will get a comprehensive and immense hands on experience ranging from antenatal care, delivery, c-sections, and a clinic for under 5. They also offer services such as Care Treatment and Counseling (CTC) for HIV positive mothers, Prevention of Mother to Child (PMTC) for HIV cases - at pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. They have so far been able to succeed in stopping transmission in about 95% of the cases they handle. Other areas include Early Infant Diagnosis, Family Planning, Deliveries, C-Sections, General Maternity, Voluntary (patient initiated) Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS, and Provider Initiated Testing and Counseling for HIV / AIDS. We would put you under the care of a Dr. Kivuyo who is eager to teach if you are eager to learn. The hospital is open for 24 hours. You would also get to see, from a public health perspective, innovative community outreach programs to address infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. For example, administering treatment via trusted figures such as pastors, village elders and traditional / herbal healers. In summary, for those interested in reproductive health, we cannot think of a better place. Including Dr. Kivuyo, the hospital has 8 doctors, 40 nurses, an outpatient department, laboratory services, maternity and children’s clinic, and a delivery ward.
- Levolosi is a typical outpatient facility but has sufficient volumes to keep you busy. Like the rest of the municipality facilities, the catchment area is the Arusha municipality. Areas you will experience in this hospital include primary care, care and treatment of HIV patients, with a client base of over 800 registered HIV cases, mental health, STIs. Dr. Kajembe is the doctor incharge and also organizes outreach medical outreach programs to assist a Maasai community in an area called Seriani.