A COMPREHENSIVE redevelopment project for the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) to increase its bed capacity from 1,435 to 1,757is to be undertaken at the cost of $468m (1.2trn/-), the facility’s management says.

Dr Rachel Mhavile, the MNH director of surgical services, made this affirmation here yesterday, when briefing journalists on achievements of the hospital in the past four years, as well as its future plans.

The project’s feasibility study has already been undertaken, with funding expected from the government at $104m and South Korea ($364m), she said, asserting that different stages of signing of agreements between the two sides are ongoing.

The project is undertaken in one phase of three years and will not affect provision of services at the facility, she stated, noting that upon completion of the project, all procedural matters at the hospital will be provided in one building, reducing delay in attending to patients.

MNH is the principal national referral hospital, holding 2,043 beds altogether, where Muhimbili has a 1,435 bed capacity at present and 608 beds capacity at its Mloganzila branch, the director noted.

In both wings of the hospital, an average of 4,000 patients receive treatment daily, where the main hospital receives 2,700 patients where 1,700 are outpatients and 1,000 being admitted. Mloganzila ordinarily has 1,300 patients receiving care per day, with 800–1,000 being outpatients and 400 inpatients, she explained

Over the past four years the government has acquired high-capacity laboratory equipment capable of processing upwards of 2,500 samples per hour, with this equipment priced at 1.8bn/-, expediting diagnostic results, enabling early disease detection and timely treatment, she said.

This has also supported advanced medical procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), kidney transplants and bone marrow transplants, she further observed, highlighting that the hospital has set up a biorepository for storing samples and disease-causing pathogens for research and training purposes.

It is the first such facility in public hospitals, intended for improving scientific research and training, she stated, also pointing at the procurement and installation of an advanced interventional radiology (Angio-Suite) machine priced at 2bn/-,  facilitating specialized treatments hitherto unavailable in the country.

Since its installation in 2022, a total of 2,300 patients have been treated, as it has enabled procedures such as catheter insertion through small incisions and the removal of blood clots from blood vessels, she stated.

A new mammography machine valued at 1.8bn/- was purchased for early detection of breast tumours, benefitting 810 patients since it was installed late last year, while a new dual CT-scan machine billed at 1.8bn/-, with 128-slice capability was added, increasing daily patient capacity from 20 to over 50 while providing faster diagnostic results, she elaborated.

A new 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine priced at 2.6bn/- was installed, enabling same day scans unlike four to five days waiting earlier, she said.

Invitro fertilization (IVF) services was another major modernisation starting last September, with the first public IVF centre set up at a 1.72bn/- cost, offering sperm and egg retrieval along with embryo implantation for couples facing infertility challenges. In its first three months, eight families have accessed the service, she explained.

Non-communicable diseases improvements like obesity treatments where gastric balloon placement via endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery came up during the period, with 155 patients receiving gastric balloons, 44 making adjustments and 11 having them removed, she said.

A hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit, the first in East and Central Africa and the second in Sub-Saharan Africa among public hospitals was installed, a 250m/- investment used for treating conditions such as chronic wounds and radiation damage from cancer treatment.

Cochlear implantation surgeries for children, with 54 children treated in four years, brought the total beneficiaries to 88 since 2017, where costs of 2.43bn/- were registered, saving an extra 4bn/- had the services been sought overseas, she added.