New HIV/AIDS clinic opens in Tanzania

Pictured from L-R. Dr. Edward Ole Lengai, District Commissioner - Serengeti, Jim Cox, Country Rep - IMA TZ, John Tuppa, Regional Commissioner - Mara , Dr. Godwin Munuo, CDC Rep - TZ and Dr. Ekandumi Kimoi, Sr. Program Manager, AIDSRelief – TZ.

IMA World Health/Laura Burkey

More than 13,000 residents of Iramba Ward, Serengeti District, will now have access to an HIV/AIDS clinic without having to travel nearly 50 miles (75 kilometers). At 10:30 a.m. Feb. 24, the new Iramba Health Center HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Clinic opened its doors as one of the newest treatment centers supported by the AIDSRelief Project in Tanzania. Through the support of the US Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the 10-year program raised $48 billion and is the largest initiative in history to combat the disease.

“It is a dream come true for IMA when we see such support from donor agencies to a very remote facility with many HIV patients but with inadequate infrastructure to run a Care and Treatment Clinic,” said AIDSRelief senior program manager Dr. Ekandumi Kimoi.

The clinic will provide free AIDS treatment services with Anti Retroviral Drugs (ARV) using a well-trained and skilled medical staff in collaboration with AIDSRelief. Around 276 patients have been enrolled, and 98 of them placed in Anti Retroviral Treatment.

IMA World Health will be the non-clinical site manager for this clinic. IMA manages more than 30 of the AIDSRelief local partner treatment facilities in Mara, Mwanza, Tanga and Manyara.

AIDSRelief is led by a consortium of five U.S. organizations led by Catholic Relief Services and including IMA, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, Catholic Medical Mission Board and Futures Group International.

Since the start of AIDSRelief in 2003, the American people have provided over $817 million to combat HIV/AIDS throughout Tanzania.

The Regional Commissioner for the Mara Region, John Tuppa was the guest of honor. The United States will continue to work closely with the United Republic of Tanzania to strengthen the health of this nation and fulfill President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete’s vision of “an HIV free Tanzania.”