{"id":4862,"date":"2026-08-10T09:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T07:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/blog\/zgt-overseas-mission-2-bmh-tanzania\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T09:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T07:20:13","slug":"zgt-overseas-mission-2-bmh-tanzania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/missions\/zgt-overseas-mission-2-bmh-tanzania\/","title":{"rendered":"ZGT Overseas mission 2 BMH Tanzania"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A medical mission in Tanzania is about more than just performing surgery. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

At the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma, Dutch and Tanzanian healthcare professionals collaborate on better care, knowledge transfer, and sustainable improvement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

A medical mission in Tanzania<\/strong> means more than just providing medical care or bringing supplies. Sharing knowledge, collaborating, and learning from each other are at least as important. This became clear once again during our second mission to the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) in Dodoma. It was an intensive week in which healthcare professionals from the Netherlands and Tanzania worked together, exchanged experiences, and explored how we can further improve healthcare together. <\/p>\n\n

On the way to the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital<\/h2>\n\n

Our journey began at ZGT in Hengelo. We departed for Tanzania with a group of healthcare professionals. After a stopover in Istanbul, we traveled on to Dar es Salaam, where we arrived in the middle of the night. <\/p>\n\n

A first challenge awaited us immediately: six of our 23 suitcases turned out not to have arrived. Fortunately, the suitcases containing medical supplies and toiletry bags were there. After filling out the necessary forms at Lost & Found, we were able to continue our journey. <\/p>\n\n

Dr. Isack Rugemalila from the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital had come all the way from Dodoma to Dar es Salaam specifically to receive us. From the airport, we traveled to the train station and then by electric train to Dodoma. After having been on the road for nearly 24 hours by then, we saw Tanzania slowly waking up from the train. People went to work in the fields, and daily life was getting underway all around us. <\/p>\n\n

It felt good to be back.<\/p>\n\n

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A warm welcome in Dodoma<\/h2>\n\n

We received a particularly warm welcome at the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital. During an official reception, the deputy director and several doctors expressed their appreciation for our visit and the collaboration. <\/p>\n\n

An important moment was the official handover of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This document sets out the joint goals, roles, and intentions of the collaboration. In doing so, the cooperation between the involved parties is increasingly taking shape. <\/p>\n\n

After the official part, everyone immediately got to work. Various procedures were performed in the operating rooms, including caesarean sections, laparoscopic surgeries, hysteroscopies, inguinal hernia operations, and orthopedic procedures. <\/p>\n\n

Moreover, it was emphatically not just about performing operations. Operating together also means discussing techniques, exchanging experiences, and transferring knowledge. For instance, local doctors were trained in laparoscopic surgery techniques, and various operations were performed jointly with Tanzanian colleagues. <\/p>\n\n

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Knowledge transfer during the medical mission in Tanzania<\/h2>\n\n

Intensive collaboration also took place outside the operating room. In the recovery room, for example, we saw how valuable it is to share practical knowledge directly with colleagues. <\/p>\n\n

An important topic was patient thermal management. A patient who cools down too much during and after surgery can suffer adverse consequences. Therefore, together with Tanzanian colleagues, we looked at how this could be better organized. <\/p>\n\n

The pain score and the Post Anesthesia Recovery Score (PAR score) were also discussed. This score allows for a systematic assessment of a patient’s condition during their stay in the recovery unit and determines when they have recovered sufficiently to be transferred to the ward. <\/p>\n\n

During a previous visit, there was still some reluctance regarding changes in the recovery room. Now, colleagues were clearly more open to new ideas. That might seem like a small step, but for sustainable improvement of care, precisely that willingness to learn together is essential. <\/p>\n\n

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Healthcare in Tanzania: a different reality<\/h2>\n\n

A medical mission in Tanzania also shows how differently healthcare can be organized compared to what we are used to in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n

This becomes very tangible when a patient needs to undergo surgery. The invoice for the operation must be paid in advance. With the proof of payment, the patient can then pick up a box containing the necessary medications, IVs, and disposable materials. Think of antibiotics, painkillers, IVs, and, for example, a urinary catheter. <\/p>\n\n

The patient takes this box to the operating complex. Materials that have not been used after the operation are returned to the pharmacy. The patient receives the corresponding amount back, or it is offset against the health insurer’s bill. <\/p>\n\n

For many people, surgery therefore means not only a medical procedure, but also a major financial decision.<\/p>\n\n

This even affects the timing of when people come to the hospital for treatment. Many people in the area earn their income from agriculture. During the productive rainy season, they can hardly afford to be out of work for an extended period. An operation can then mean a temporary loss of income, while at the same time the medical treatment still needs to be paid for. <\/p>\n\n

Train together and share knowledge<\/h2>\n\n

In addition to surgeries and patient care, education played an important role during our mission. Together with Paschal, an emergency department nurse, for example, resuscitation training was organized. <\/p>\n\n

Two groups of students received training in Basic Life Support (BLS). The collaboration with Paschal already existed from a previous visit and could be continued during this mission. The students were enthusiastic and actively involved in the lessons. <\/p>\n\n

This clearly shows why a medical mission in Tanzania<\/strong> goes far beyond the patients that can be treated during one week.<\/p>\n\n

An operation helps a patient at that moment. Knowledge that you transfer to doctors, nurses, and students can be applied again and again thereafter. This creates an effect that lasts much longer than the duration of our visit. <\/p>\n\n

Care goes beyond medical treatments<\/h2>\n\n

During the week, there was also room for another form of assistance. The clothing brought along was displayed at the hospital’s skills lab, so that employees from cleaning and landscaping, among others, could select clothing. <\/p>\n\n

Some of the sportswear found a special purpose. Sufiani, who manages the skill lab, took clothing for children at a primary school. Not long after, we received photos of the children wearing the shirts. <\/p>\n\n

We also visited the pediatric ward and the NICU, the intensive care unit for premature babies. Stuffed animals were handed out in the pediatric ward. Small crocheted octopuses had been brought along for the premature babies. The curled tentacles give the babies something to hold on to. This may also make them less likely to pull on, for example, IV or oxygen tubes. <\/p>\n\n

These are moments that fall outside the medical treatment itself, but at the same time show that care encompasses much more than just surgery or medication.<\/p>\n\n

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Collaborating on sustainable healthcare in Tanzania<\/h2>\n\n

At the end of the visit, the Dutch team and colleagues from Benjamin Mkapa Hospital came together one last time. The hospital reflected extensively on the collaboration and expressed the wish to continue it in the future. <\/p>\n\n

Looking back, it was an intensive week full of surgeries, training sessions, conversations, and special encounters. But perhaps the most important outcome does not lie in the number of surgeries or training sessions performed. <\/p>\n\n

The real value lies in the growing collaboration.<\/p>\n\n

Doctors operating together. Nurses exchanging experiences. Students learning new skills. People getting to know each other better and better, making it easier for them to share knowledge and implement changes. <\/p>\n\n

A medical mission in Tanzania<\/strong> might last only a week, but good cooperation can continue for years. And therein lies the opportunity to make a lasting difference: not by taking over care, but by working together on care that becomes ever stronger. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the second ZGT Overseas Medical Mission in Tanzania, Dutch and Tanzanian healthcare professionals worked together at the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma. In addition to various surgeries, knowledge transfer was central, particularly in the fields of laparoscopic surgery, recovery care, and resuscitation. The mission also provided a unique insight into how healthcare is organized in Tanzania. Furthermore, clothing, stuffed animals, and other materials were distributed to staff and children. By sharing knowledge and experience, the collaboration contributes to improving care in the long term as well. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-4862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-missions","tag-tanzania"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4862"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4863,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4862\/revisions\/4863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focusvoorafrika.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}