The United States President’s Emergency Fund to fight AIDS (PEPFAR) and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through ICAP Tanzania has pledged over 750,000 USD (1. 9 billion Tanzania shillings) to fund Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) molecular laboratory installation, running and accreditation.
The CDC’s country director, Dr. Mahesh Swaminathan said this at the HIV Drug Resistance Testing Laboratory handover ceremony held at BMC in Mwanza City.
The event brought together Mwanza Regional Commissioner Said Mtanda and others included US Congressional Staff Delegation, CDC directors Washington, Tanzania CDC, ICAP, Ministry of health and other members of the regional health management team.
Speaking to visiting journalists, Dr Swaminathan revealed that for over 15 years the US-PEPFAR through CDC has partnered Bugando Hospital and laboratory systems across the mainland of Tanzania, Zanzibar.
“Through our partnerships, BMC has become instrumental in advanced technology that has transformed the laboratory into a sustainable, self-operating entity delivering high-quality laboratory services across more than eight regions and extending services to neighbouring countries like the DRC and Burundi”, he explained.
He said the US government applauded the Ministry of Health, Tanzania Commission for AIDS, President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities, regional officials, non governmental and civil society organizations for the collective effort in enhancing health systems in Tanzania.
“We compliment BMC for their commitments to HIV epidemic control, and pandemic prevention, readiness and response through advanced detection systems,” he included.
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For her party, the Head of ICAP in Tanzania, Dr Haruka Maruyama said that the existing cooperation has let ICAP to extend the substantial assistance in augmentation of Bugando lab that has become the focal point of HIV IR Testing and storage in Tanzania since Tanzania has joined the HIV Impact Research.
“The laboratory capacity in forensic testing for Lake Zone regions has been highly transformative”, she said.
She noted that opening of the HIV drug resistance testing laboratory is significant for the enhancement of quality of HIV service delivery in the Lake Zone areas and Neighbouring zones.
“We celebrate not just the official handing over of a laboratory but the dawn of a new era in our fight against HIV,” she said.
She said that the new laboratory is timely to boost patient care and create a blueprint to improve and expand HIV and AIDS services.
“We recognize and extend our deepest gratitude to the government of Tanzania, PEPFAR and CDC for their unwavering support in making the establishment of this HIV Drug Resistance Laboratory possible,” she noted.
She remarked that through the support of CDC, ICAP Tanzania will continue to support BMC and the Ministry of Health as it embarks on various public health interventions.