THE Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) director of medical services, Dr. John Rwegasha, has been appointed to head the medical services division at the African Union (AU) Commission.

Dr. Rwegasha, who graduated at Makerere University in 1998, has worked with Muhimbili for 11 years. He was nominated for the position at the end of last year and is set to begin his new role early next month at the Addis Ababa head offices of the AUC

The staff and management at MNH held a farewell event for the nominee over the weekend, where Dr Rwegasha paid gratitude for the institution for enabling him to excel in the highly competitive recruitment process.

Candidates from seven African nations were considered, he said, while MNH executive director Prof. Mohamed Janabi, who is also presidential advisor on health and medical services, hailed the top MNH staffer for the nomination, wishing him successo in his new functions. 

He tasked him with effectively representing Tanzania while advancing the health sector across Africa at the commission, where the seasoned gastroenterologist and hepatologist will be based.

He said Dr Rwegasha established a center for training and treating digestive and liver diseases at MNH in 2013 and served as its head until 2018. 

He was then to lead the internal medicine department, overseeing eleven units, whereupon in October 2022 he became the medical services director, overseeing seven departments, he said.

His professional profile indicates that he earned the bachelor’s degree in medicine from Makerere University, now reclassified as a doctor of medicine qualification, a master’s degree in medicine from Aga Khan University in Kenya, and a master’s degree in science and leadership from Mzumbe University. 

Additionally, he holds a diploma in health management from the University of Washington in the United States, along with several other professional qualifications from universities in the United Kingdom and South Africa.