Our work in
Tanzania is a
Medical Relief Foundation / FAME (Foundation for African
Medicine and Education) Partnership. MRF board member Dr
Frank Artress and his wife Susan moved to Tanzania with
the purpose of establishing a small hospital in the community. Tanzania has a
population of 800,000 people. Because of a total lack of
resources and equipment in the region, malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS
wreak havoc on the citizens, both adult and children.
One quarter of the present generation of
educated adults is HIV positive. There are more than 2 million
orphans in Tanzania
Purpose:
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To enhance the quality of medical care,
such that individuals from all socioeconomic groups will
have access to comprehensive and equitable medical care.
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Continue to provide outreach to the
villages that have no current medical care
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With the clinic construction now complete
our plans are to begin construction of the medical facility
on the property this year. This hospital
will serve the local population and be a teaching facility
for the rest of the country.
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Provide a progressive approach to the
treatment and prevention of diseases.
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Provide continuing education for
Tanzanian physicians.
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Provide rotating coverage of specialty
care physicians from around the world.
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To build a diagnostic laboratory to
assist in the diagnosis and treatment of illness and
disease.
Karatu Medical Facility -
A project
to build and equip a hospital and teaching facility in
Karatu, Tanzania. The facility
will be located on an 18-acre piece of land accessible by foot
and vehicle, even in the rainy season. The current clinic
and future hospital site sit in a peaceful and quiet setting, an
environment conducive to healing and surrounded by unsurpassed
natural beauty. In a country where an estimated one out of every
six children will die before the age of 5 and one-third of the
population is expected to die before the age of 40, MRF will be
contributing to a vital and worthwhile endeavor.
Outreach and Mobile
Clinic Project
- MRF will be working collaboratively with
FAME and child-centered organizations focused on the needs of
orphaned and abandoned children in the Karatu area. The goal to
help provide medical care to this growing population of children
and to also facilitate a system of care focused on orphan
prevention.
Building a well -
With the financial
assistance from the Rotary Club of Modesto, MRF and FAME, the
first fresh water well in now in place on the property.
This well provides water for the clinic as well as for the local
citizens and has played a significant role in reducing the
levels of waterborne disease including intestinal worms and
giardia.