Nov. 3, 2009 (PR Newswire) -- DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, emergency room services meeting international standards will be a part Tanzania's public health system, thanks to the opening of a new Emergency Medical Department building and extensive training being conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital. At a ceremony yesterday, President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania joined representatives from the Abbott Fund in dedicating the new facility. The building renovations, new equipment and staff training are being supported by a grant from the Abbott Fund, the philanthropic foundation of the global health care company Abbott. The initiative is part of a broader partnership between the Government of Tanzania and the Abbott Fund to strengthen the country's health care system.

"The opening of this emergency center will help to save lives in Dar es Salaam and across the region, and will lead to fundamental differences in emergency care training in the future," said President Kikwete. "We are grateful for this latest step in our long and very successful partnership with the Abbott Fund."

Emergency medicine is not a specialty that is typically offered as part of medical training in most parts of Africa. As a result, patients admitted to public hospitals for acute conditions generally receive limited care until a specialist is available to provide treatment. With the opening of the new Emergency Medical Department, state-of-the-art urgent care will be available to patients. A comprehensive training program will upgrade emergency care expertise for staff at Muhimbili, with the long-term goal of training future physicians in the specialty of Emergency Medicine.

"The new Emergency Medical Department provides resources and procedures that significantly improve urgent medical care at our hospital," said Professor Leonard Lema, executive director, Muhimbili National Hospital. "Our broader goal is to utilize this department as a training ground and create a residency program in emergency medicine at Muhimbili. This will help elevate the level of emergency care expertise in other hospitals in Tanzania."

The $3 million project is an extension of the Abbott Fund's partnership with the Government of Tanzania to improve health care infrastructure and systems in Tanzania. The Abbott Fund has invested more than $60 million to date in one of the largest public-private partnerships in Africa aimed at enhancing access to health care on a national scale.