Wednesday 30 October 2013

Bugando in dire cash constraints

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Melard Karoza

Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) still faces acute shortage of funds, a situation that is said to hinder it’s provision of better medical services.

The second biggest referral hospital is now seeking financial assistance from the government and partners to boost the operational budget after the available funds were found to be insufficient to operate the hospital efficiently. The hospital’s executive director, Prof Charles Majinge, told the Vice President, Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal, and health partners attending Bugando Day celebrations here that more funds were needed despite having well-wishers who support the institution. “For example, the hospital needs Sh20 billion to meet its operational costs besides workers’ salaries. But it only accessed Sh1 bilion from the government,” said Prof Majinge.

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Tuesday 29 October 2013

Bugando to offer heart surgery services

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Miguel Suleyman

In Summary:
African Barrick Gold who contributed Sh500 million to the project, said, through its envoy, Deo Mwanyika that its commitment in health service complies with the company’s zeal to ensure there are better environments, workers welfare and harmonious environments with communities around its mining sites.

Only Sh50, 000 will be charged for open heart surgery at the newly launched service at Bugando Medical Centre, the hospital management told visiting Vice President, Mohamed Gharib Billal.

Speaking during the official launching of the heart surgery and cancer treatment services at the Lake Zone’s biggest referral hospital, Bugando Medical Centre’s executive director, Prof Charles Majinge, said it normally costs a patient Sh6 million to get such a service in foreign hospitals, a relief he said would save billions of shillings and many lives across the Lake Zone regions.

“Open heart surgery is very expensive and it is one of the medical operations that need a high level of professionalism. It is now readily available here and hopefully it is a big relief even to those who spend millions for the service in India and other parts of globe,” said Prof Majinge.

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Monday 28 October 2013

Bilal hails Bugando theatres

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Miguel Suleyman,The Citizen

Vice President Mohamed Gharib Billal officially launched two life-saving medical services at Bugando Medical Centre here that bring hope to over 18 million residents across Lake Zone regions.

Besides opening buildings that serve as cancer and heart theatres, the Vice President witnessed Tanzanian doctor Godwin Godfrey, conducting a successful heart surgery at the newly-opened theatre.

“I have witnessed how the operation was conducted by a team of doctors led by a Tanzanian...this is a milestone and a big achievement,” said the Vice President whose official opening of the cancer and heart surgery theatres was part of celebrations to mark the 41st anniversary of the Lake Zone’s biggest hospital.

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Wednesday 23 October 2013

Man killed, two wounded in pre-dawn raid at church

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Frederick Katulanda

In Summary:
“I don’t think the attack had anything to do with banditry since they didn’t bother with valuables in the church. We are frightened by this kind of attack and would like the government to take quick action,”

One person has been killed and two others severely wounded when unidentified people raided the Gilgal Christian Church early yesterday morning.

The attackers carried traditional weapons including pangas. The incident occurred at Pasiansi suburb in Ilemela District, Mwanza.

Mwanza regional police commander Ernest Mangu confirmed the incident. He named the deceased as Elias Meshack, a resident of Ilemela, and injured persons as Mr Elias Maskauzi and Mr Tumsifu Pungu.

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Tuesday 22 October 2013

Chinese ready to overhaul rail line

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Athuman Mtulya, The Citizen

A China construction company is willing to overhaul the central railway line, says a statement

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which also built a 1,860km Tanzania-Zambia railway from 1970-1976 told Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda who is China that they are ready for the job and they waiting for the green light from the government of Tanzania.

CCECC president Yuan Li told Pinda that China was talking to the ministry of Transport over the matter.

Mr Yuan expects that the two parties would agree on the matter.

Mr Pinda said the overhaul would reduce a burden of damaged roads as a result of a big bulk of heavy loads being transported by trucks after the collapse of the railway line decade ago.

“When the reconstruction is done it will also opened more doors for economic opportunities. It will boost trade with Rwanda, Burundi and DRC and we can even transport Ugandan cargo via Mwanza,” he said.

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Saturday 19 October 2013

TBL pours Sh400m for canoeing event

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen Staff Writer

Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) through its beer Balimi Extra Lager has poured Sh400 million to sponsor this year canoeing competition designed for Lake Zone regions athletes.

Speaking yesterday, TBL Marketing Manager, Fimbo Butallah said that the purpose of using huge money is to develop the game in the zone which has been staged for 14 years in its history.

Butallah said the amount would be used to facilitate the competition from the start and will use Sh24 millions to award the winners. He said another amount would be used to cover competition expenses including promotions.

He said that they are regarding that the competition is an avenue for Lake Zone residents due to the fact that it influences crowd of people.

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Tuesday 15 October 2013

Community urged to give girl child education priority

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Annastazia Fredy

With the Lake Zone ranked among areas with the highest cases of female genital mutilation and teenage pregnancies, a call to enhance girl’s education hoisted the banner of this year’s International Day of Girl Child marked in Mwanza at the regional level at the weekend.

The worst victims being young girls in poor rural areas across the Lake Zone regions, the zone, according to researches, also leads in sexual violence and school dropouts, a situation that calls for collective efforts to address it.

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Thursday 10 October 2013

Contract farming to be streamlined

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen Reporter

Cotton stakeholders are making headway in streamlining contract farming ahead of this year’s season that starts in November.

Some ginnery owners yesterday pledged to support the government’s push for contract farming. They believe if well implemented, contract farming will lead to increased cotton production.

This comes weeks after cotton stakeholders met in Mwanza and announced a ‘No Investment, No Cotton’ policy in a bid to streamline contract farming.

“We will continue to work closely with the government towards improving production,” said Mr Amini Ladhani of Mwatex Ltd. In the last season, the company spent over Sh100 million on supporting contract farming. Contract farming gives the right of buying cotton only to ginnery companies that provided inputs, pesticides and certified seeds to farmers prior to a planting season.

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Tuesday 8 October 2013

Govt committed to improve health sector, Bilal says

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Annastazia Fredy

The Tanzania health sector has made a sky-leap achievement in a ten-year period in terms of technological advancement, medical facilities and professionalism, Vice President Mohamed Gharib Bilal said in Mwanza at the weekend.

Dr Bilal, who was speaking during the opening of the fourth Tanzania Medical Students Association (Tamsa) conference on Monday, said he was relieved that 80 per cent of medical practitioners and health workers, who were trained in the country decided to report to their work places. Medical students from US, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and host Tanzania are attending this year’s conference. The conference’s theme is Impact of Global Health in Africa; it’s time to face the challenges.

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MP donates mobile lab to serve 21 schools

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Frederick Katulanda

Secondary school students in Nyamagana District will benefit from a mobile laboratory worth Sh5.9 donated by the area MP, Mr Ezekiel Wenje.

Mr Wenje, who handed over the facility yesterday, said he bought the equipment using the Constituency Development Catalyst Fund (CDCF) money to respond to schools’ request for science laboratory services.

The state-of-the-art laboratory will to some extent reduce the shortage of laboratories facing 21 secondary schools in Mwanza. Only nine schools in the city have laboratories.

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Monday 7 October 2013

Board opens zonal office to boost tourism

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Miguel Suleyman The Citizen on Sunday Reporter

The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) on Friday opened its office in Mwanza that will serve six other regions in the Lake Zone.

Officially opened by the deputy minister of Tourism and Natural Resources, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, the occasion marked the region’s major step in boosting tourism and make it the fourth source of income for residents still glued to the agro-pastoral economy.

The opening of the office, as explained by the TTB managing director, Mr Aloys Nzuki, aimed at supporting Mwanza Region’s efforts to serve as a hub of the Tanzania’s western tourist zone.

Mr Nzuki said, the zonal office would also act as the board’s liaison office for Mwanza, Geita, Mara, Simiyu and Shinyanga regions.

“The large zonal market potential suggests the need to establish presence in the sector that now serves one of the biggest sources of foreign income and the rapidly growing sector,” he said.

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Sites and places in Mwanza

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen on Sunday Reporter and Agencies

Mwanza is Tanzania’s second largest city and the economic heart of the Lake Region. Mwanza is located in the extreme northern part of Tanzania Mainland dominated by Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria.

The location - on the southern shores of Lake Victoria and the altitude - 1.134 metres above sea level - ensure a fresh breeze, friendly humidity and agreeable temperatures throughout the year. The town looks onto the lake, which includes dramatic views of the Bismarck Rock - a massive outcrop of granite rocks.

Lake Victoria is nearly 69,000 square kilometres, Africa’s largest tropical lake and the second largest fresh water Lake in the world. It is the source of the great Nile River. The lake occupies sections of three East African countries - Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda but more than half of it is in Tanzania.

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Tuesday 1 October 2013

Mwanza grapples with lack of conference facilities

From IPP Media/The Guardian, Dar es Salaam
By Lusekelo Philemon 

Authorities in the rocky city of Mwanza have started chasing for potential investors, who would be interested to invest in modern conference facilities.

“We are forced to call for investors to do so, taking into account that the city has no conference facility that would house more than 3,000 people at once as it is with other cities in Tanzania,” Mwanza Regional Commissioner Evarist Ndikilo said.

Briefing a group of EAC Brand Survey volunteers in his office lately, the RC said the city was in a good location to host regional and international conferences but failed to do so because of lack of conference facilities as in Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Eng. Ndikilo said accommodation facilities are no longer a challenge as there are some people in Mwanza who have invested in hotels, “but most of them lack conference facilities, a situation that makes the city at a losing point.”

“We are anxious to start lobbying for some EAC meetings to be held here, but it is very difficult because we don’t have such facilities. So, I take this opportunity to encourage investors to view Mwanza as an important area for investment,” RC Ndikilo said. He, however, stated that regional authorities are working on making the region a tourist hub in the Lake zone by putting up better infrastructure that is tourist friendly.

The ongoing expansion of Mwanza airport to international status will be a catalyst for the growing tourism industry, along with Saanane Island National Park. Mwanza has more than 40 tourist attractions, the RC added.

Pastoralists rescued from angry farmers

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Salum Maige

Game rangers from Mwanza in collaboration with law enforcers have rescued six pastoralists who were taken hostage by a group of over 50 farmers at Ruande Forest Reserve in Geita Region.

A land dispute had erupted between farmers and the pastoral community near the forest reserve, a situation that forced farmers to take six pastoralists hostage.
Armed with bush knives and axes, a group of over 50 farmers ambushed and surrounded the pastoralists on Friday morning. They took them hostage for several hours, threatening to behead those who would not surrender.

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Over 1.5 tonnes of drugs confiscated

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Frederick Katulanda

The Pharmacy Council of Tanzania has closed down 120 pharmacies in the Lake Zone for illegally selling drugs from government hospitals, operating without licences and in violation of regulations.

The crackdown, which started on September 16 through 27 in Mwanza, Geita and Shinyanga regions found that some 52 pharmacies belonged to government officials working in public hospitals and health departments, according to the deputy registrar of PCT, Ms Leah Chenya.

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