By Nicodemus Ikonko
Tanzania has tragically only one cardiologist for about 1,200,000 people compared to Europe’s median of 95 doctors per million people, prompting heart specialist Dr. Samwel Rweyemamu to call on young doctors to join his medical specialisation.
Responding to questions asked by journalists on the Opening Day of the Heart Diseases Clinic at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) Hospital on February 24, 2025, Heart Disease Specialist Dr. Rweyemamu noted that there were currently fewer than 50 heart disease specialists in the country.
“We need to encourage young doctors to pursue advanced degrees in cardiology so that the number of experts in this critical field could be increased,” he said.
Dr. Rweyemamu explained that it has been difficult for the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) to offer heart disease clinics at least twice a month due to the limited number of specialists available to handle the demand. This shortage makes it impractical to increase the clinic’s frequency from just once a month, he explained.
He also revealed that it was the third time he was conducting such a clinic in Arusha. Dr. Rweyemamu noted that the demand for heart disease specialists was rapidly increasing. By mid-day on the first day of the clinic, over 100 patients had already been seen.
Speaking to The Arusha News while waiting for their appointments, three patients expressed their gratitude to JKCI for taking the essential services to Arusha, saving them the added cost of travelling to Dar es Salaam for treatment.
The week-long clinic ends today.
