Matyazo Hospital
Tanzania
Matyazo Health Centre
This hospital is one of four health centres in the Kigoma district, which has an estimated population of 240,528 (census data).
There are 120 beds in the health centre. Every day, the doctors and nurses treat around 60 out-patients and care for 120 in-patients. Some 1700 operations are conducted every year. In total, the health centre employs 90 staff.
One focus in the health centre is on obstetrics. Women from remote and less accessible places can come to the health centre before their due date and stay to give birth to their child. This service is free of charge, as is the delivery itself. Only in the event of complications is the patient required to pay a small proportion of the cost, or if a C-section is required. Around 1600 women use this service every year. 224 C-sections are performed every year.
To date, there is no country-wide health insurance system in Tanzania. However, a system is currently being established. Patients who find themselves in a desperate situation, or who have barely enough money to pay for the necessities of life, can pay for their treatment in instalments or apply for financial aid (relief fund).
Quality management has also finally arrived in Tanzania. In our facility, we constantly strive to improve our services and offer our patients the best possible health care at an affordable price.
Hence we have turned our focus to two areas:
Upgrading and expanding the buildings
In order to meet national requirements for health centres, we will need to conduct major renovation work in the coming years on our buildings. Some will have to be rebuilt completely.
A first step has been taken in this direction, and the new operating theatre building is now finished.
Seeing people holistically
Falling ill is a serious matter for people in Matyazo. So we can’t just treat symptoms; we have to help the person holistically. Counselling, social services and medical services have to go hand in hand, and we need to expand these services accordingly.
Nowadays, alongside our hospital chaplain, churches also offer services on the site; here, patients receive spiritual encouragement and pastoral support.
Career Advancement for Employees at Matyazo Hospital
In this region, it’s difficult to find qualified staff for a health centre. We’ve found the most successful strategy to lie in training up existing employees in the areas where it is needed most. However, this requires funding.
We need to send staff on training courses / degree courses to fill the following positions:
– Social worker: 3-yr course, costing €4000 per year
– Personnel officer: 2-yr course, costing €3000 per year
– Operator: 3-yr course, costing €3000 per year
– Pharmacist: 3-yr course, costing €3000 per year
– Specialist doctor: 5-yr course, costing €6000 per year
Help Matyazo Hospital to train up staff so that people who live in the lesser developed west of Tanzania can receive good health care! Every penny helps!
Please recommend this project to your friends and help us so that we can move forwards! Many thanks!
Anglican Diocese West-Tanganyika, Kasulu, Tansania
The first missionaries from the Neukirchener Mission arrived in Shunga in 1928. At this time, the diocese still formed part of the Anglican Central Tanzanian diocese. They began to preach the gospel and provide medical care. Later, they opened the children’s home to look after babies whose mothers had died during childbirth. Over the years, many Europeans have come to work in Matyazo, Shunga, Kasulu and Kigoma. Having been requested to do so by the church leadership, we now support staff training programmes and provide medical care.
Ute Trautwein
formerly worked as a senior gynaecologist. In 2008 she took over as chief medical officer for Matyazo hospital. She is responsible not only for all medical-related matters, but also acts as director of the children’s home. Her declared aim is to transfer smaller and larger areas of responsibility into local hands. This requires a great deal of patience, and the staff need a lot of individual and professional support.
D.F.M.G.B.
Ute Trautwein is supported by the DFMGB
Jangwe Anania
Head of office staff and personnel
Pastor Gidion Bukumbi
Head of pastoral and social services
The Schaermann Family
The Schaermann family joined the Matyazo team in January 2017.
David is now head of building services engineering. Together with a number of Tanzanian employees, he’s responsible for everything that keeps the hospital and the children’s home running smoothly. He’s also responsible for overseeing the extensive building work and renovation work.
The Borkeloh Family
The Borkeloh family joined the work in Matyazo in January 2019.
As a specialist for internal medicine, Martin Borkeloh will initially be responsible for the daily run of patient consultations. Julia Borkeloh plans to look after their children at first. As a trained gynaecologist, however, she is very likely to advise and support the Matyazo team at some stage in the future.
Sarah Bernert
Beginning in August 2020, Sarah is supporting the team at Matyazo Hospital as a midwife and in staff training. After her work with the DMÄT, she is now a full-time NM-missionary.
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