THE government has announced plans to further strengthen its partnership with US-based Abbott Fund and other stakeholders to expand emergency medical services to rural areas and save lives.

After establishment of Emergency Medicine Department (EMD) at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), zonal referral hospitals, regional and some district hospitals, the collaboration will now facilitate rural dwellers to also access immediate and quality medical services at village level.

Dr Erasto Sylvanus, head of emergency and clinical care at the Ministry of Health said this in Dar es Salaam yesterday during a meeting with officials from Abbott Fund.

The meeting which also involved a short tour to the improved facilities at MNH emergency department underscored the importance of increasing collaborations between the government and private sector to invest in emergency care.

According to him, establishment of emergency services at MNH and other areas have greatly helped reduce mortality rate by over 50 percent as patients receive needed services on time.

He said that using the model implemented at MNH, the government will also establish emergency services in some villages before rolling it out in other areas as per availability of funds.

“Prior to the introduction of well-equipped emergency services at MNH in 2010, the situation was very bad as many patients who could have been rescued by getting immediate care ended up losing their lives. We thank the government and with support from Abbott Fund, things have greatly changed and many lives are now saved,” he said.

Dr John Rwegasha, director of medical services at MNH, said that due to the investment, patients who die at the emergency department are 0.5 percent thus having 99 percent assurance of patient survival at the department.

He said Abbott Fund helped MNH renovate the central laboratory and provided support for several of its facilities to improve emergency care.

He said various training for health professionals, research, quality of service, information and communication technology systems and more have been funded by Abbott.

He said MNH serves a total of 200 to 250 emergency patients per day from various parts of the country and neighbouring countries.

Dr Juma Mfinanga, head of EMD at MNH said: “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 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 by introducing emergency medicine in Tanzania.

Abbott Fund opened six more emergency medicine facilities across Tanzania in Mbeya, Arusha, Dodoma and Coast regions as well as at Bantu village in Mkinga District, Tanga Region," he said.

The Abbott Fund is a philanthropic foundation established by Abbott in 1951 in the US, aiming at creating healthier global communities by investing in creative ideas that promote science, expand access to health care and strengthen communities worldwide.