Executives and senior officials from the French International Development Agency (Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)—exchange notes on the expansion status of Aga- Khan Hospital, a multi-billion project worth Tshs. 192 billion, which is supported by AFD. AFD Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rémy Rioux made the remarks when he visited Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam to see the progress of the project. (Correspondent).
Head of French International Development Agency (Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) yesterday commended Tanzania for timely implementation of health projects, which he says would have greater and positive impact for millions of people in the country.
AFD Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rémy Rioux made the remarks when he visited Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam to see the progress of the Tshs. 192 billion project for the expansion of the Aga Khan Hospital and the establishment of 27 outreach health centres across Tanzania.
The project is funded through a concessional loan of Tshs. 123 billion issued by AFD and a grant of Tshs. 69 billion from The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
The on-going expansion will establish the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam which is the only Joint Commission Accredited Hospital in Tanzania, as the premier private not-for-profit, academic and tertiary medical centre in Tanzania while the outreach centres will enable populations across Tanzania to access affordable and quality health care at their doorstep and establish a continuum of care with the Aga Khan Hospital, according to an official statement issued after official talks between AFD chief and Aga-Khan executives.
“These initiatives aim to supplement the efforts of the Government of Tanzania in responding to the key challenges of access, quality, affordability and continuity of care in dealing with a changing burden of disease, especially non-communicable diseases (NCD’s). The programme also includes the development of human resource capacity within the country and in reversing medical tourism.”
Mr. Rémy Rioux, the Chief Executive Officer of AFD expressed his appreciation on the partnership between AFD and the AKDN and commended Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania for the excellent progress in the timely implementation of the expansion project.
He highlighted the commonality between AKDN’s development oriented goals and AFD’s inclusive public development initiatives under which the Bank commits financing and technical assistance to projects that aim at social uplifting and improvement of the quality of life of peoples, communities and countries, both in developing and emerging countries and in the French overseas provinces.
For his part, Dr. Gijs Walraven, the AKDN Director for Health, expressed his gratitude to the AFD for supporting AKDN’s social projects globally and in particular the expansion of Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam.
He stated that the expansion of the Hospital which is expected to be completed in June 2018 will enhance inpatient capacity to 170 beds, with new as well as consolidation of programmes in cardiology, oncology, neurosciences, critical care, maternal and child health and the provision of advanced diagnostic services.
“In fact, this partnership has allowed Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania and the Aga Khan University to introduce postgraduate medical programs in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Surgery where currently 21 residents are enrolled in the 4-year programme,” he stressed.
The Aga Khan Health Services—is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which works to create efficient and appropriate health systems for improving the health of individuals and populations in low- and middle-income countries.
AFD--is an inclusive public financial institution and the main actor in France’s development policy. It makes commitments to projects that genuinely improve the everyday lives of people, in developing and emerging countries and in the French overseas territories.
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