I drew the short straw and am the first blogger…
We are staying at a quaint, relatively hidden bed and breakfast in Moshi called the Neneu Hotel for 3 nights. They serve amazing, fresh mango and mango/passion fruit juice.
Today, Wednesday, 1/14, we went to KCMC (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center), having Dr Randy Hurley as our guide, to visit the relatively new regional Cancer Center, which I may let Randy and others speak more in depth about.
As a referral center hospital, KCMC offers a broader range of diagnostic and treatment capabilities across a wider range of specialties compared to Ilula Lutheran Hospital. It is a huge campus that houses a medical school, various medical residencies, and various other professional healthcare training programs. Today, the focus was largely on the Cancer Center/oncology department and its recent advancements, and we attended the first of what is to be a monthly Oncology Research Unit Meeting. Tomorrow, the focus will be on visiting and shadowing clinicians in the ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, and oncology departments.
There were a lot of interesting tidbits from the day, but one thing that stood out to me was the unexpected news that the HIV/AIDS clinics and antiretroviral therapy (ART)/mycobacterium tuberculosis anti-infectives, which have been, in large part, funded/provided by USAID, have remained operational despite USAID being axed. The day-to-day operations have been run by Tanzanians, with logistics and administration handled by USAID staff. For the time being, the government is picking up the slack, but no one is certain how long this will last. In addition, European NGOs that also support these projects have not cut funding. The result is that ART/TB treatments are being administered as they were several years ago. The TZ government's support so far has been reassuring, but several TZ physicians were unsure how long it would last.
It does bring up the question that often runs through my mind about whether international aid prevents local populations/governments from investing in their own people/infrastructure. One argument for continuing aid like this is that withdrawing aid will create a gap in care, with no guarantee it will be filled. As above, the TZ government did step in (as it should), even if only temporarily.
The trip thus far has been great. There have been a few hiccups, including my luggage being lost for 1.5 days, but all is well that ends well. The weather has been beautiful, and it’s so nice to be back in TZ, where the pace of life is so much slower. We will be flying to Dar Es Salaam on Friday before taking a train across the country to Ilula.
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