The Embassy hosted a working dinner meeting with the Tokushukai Medical Corporation Team of Japan on 17th February 2023, in the run up to the 5th Anniversary of the Kidney Transplant Project in Tanzania, in March this year.
In attendance were Dr. Higashiue Shinichi, MD, Chairman of Tokushukai Medical Corporation; Dr. Ishikawa Ichiro, Special Advisor to Chairman and Chief Tokushukai Headquarters; Prof. Tanabe Kazunari, MD, Director of Robotic Surgery and Organic Transplant Center, Tokushukai Shonan Kamakura General Hospital; Dr. Kobayashi Shunzo, MB, General Director of Tokushukai Shonan Kamakura General Hospital; Dr. Idaka Sumi, MD, Director of Kidney Transplant Center of Tokushukai Shonan Kamakura General Hospital; Dr. Mwanatambwe Milanga, MB, Representative for Africa, Tokushukai Medical Corporation; and Ms. Chikako Nose, Assistant Executive to the Chairman.
In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Luvanda highlighted about the TOKUSHUKAI ‘s long solid partnership and friendship with Tanzania that served humanity and spared the lives of many Tanzanians, as well as neighbours in the East and Southern African region, and beyond. He also appreciated the TOKUSHUKAI’s dedication and enthusiasm for Tanzania, which have been demonstrated over the years since 2004 when the framework for collaborations was first inked and operationalized. “The donation of the dialysis machines and the various professional trainings that you conducted prior to the launching of the Kidney Transplant Centre in 2012 have made all the difference and, it is something that we greatly appreciate”, he stated.
Ambassador Luvanda concluded his remarks by urging TOKUSHUKAI to continue supporting other health-related projects in the same spirit, by investing in the sector and through trainings, research, innovations, equipment provision, and medical service delivery. He also assured them of Tanzania's cooperation in their investments in the health sector, citing the country's favorable investment climate and the Government's strong political commitment to safeguarding the welfare of its citizens and the availability of healthcare for everyone. “The Government of Tanzania is fully committed and, determined to ensure the welfare of its people and especially, through the provision of health care to all. You can therefore rest assured that your investment and support in the health-related projects is quite relevant, secure, safe and, mutually beneficial”, he added.
On his part, Dr. Shinichi underscored Tokushukai’s policy on overseas assistance which is embedded on passing on skills and knowledge to the locals to use it to transform the health sector. He further pointed to the long partnership and association of the Group with Tanzania since 2004. He stated that because of this partnership, they were able to donate ten hemodialysis machines to the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) in 2012 and performed successfully the first kidney transplant in 2018. He added that a number of dialysis training sessions for Tanzanian medical staff were carried out both in Tanzania and Japan, which led to the successful launching of kidney transplant in Tanzania. Whereas 11 kidney transplant cases have been carried out jointly by Tokushukai doctors and BMH’s doctors, and about 21 surgeries have been conducted successfully by BMH’s doctors alone, making a total of 32 cases since the launching of the project.
Dr. Shinichi expressed his gratitude for the excellent cooperation they are receiving from the Government of Tanzania and urged that there is need for the University of Dodoma and Benjamin Mkapa Hospital to finalize the internal processes for the establishment of the Kidney Center of Excellence to which the Group is ready and willing to support.
