Press action medeor

Tanzania is the location for the first production facility for hematology reagents in East Africa. The facility was officially opened in Kibaha, a suburb of Dar es Salaam, in recent days. The aim of action medeor International Healthcare Tanzania, the operator of the facility, is to strengthen the autonomy and independence of the Tanzanian healthcare system through the local production of blood analysis reagents. The Tanzanian branch of the German medical aid organization action medeor also received support from Germany: The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Development Society (DEG) supported the construction of the facility, as did various private donors.

“Reagents are chemical substances that are needed to operate blood analysis devices in every laboratory,” Christoph Bonsmann, member of the board of action medeor, explains. With the help of such analyses, doctors can reliably diagnose various diseases, such as viral infections, chronic inflammation or anemia. "Only a reliable diagnosis ensures successful treatment of these diseases. The availability of reagents is therefore an important aspect of healthcare,” Bonsmann says.

Until now, haematology reagents have not been produced in Tanzania, but have been regularly imported from Asia - with high costs, long transportation routes and a permanent dependence on international supply chains. The first local production facility in East Africa is now intended to counteract this. “We want to make reagents for blood analysis available from local production, at a significantly lower price, with reliable availability and at the highest quality level,” Christoph Bonsmann sums up. According to initial estimates, the production costs of the reagents in Kibaha will only be half the cost of imported products.

In line with the project's high significance in terms of health policy, German Ambassador Thomas Terstegen and the deputy health ministers of Zanzibar and Tanzania also accepted the invitation to the inauguration ceremony for the production facility. Together with many other guests, they were able to see for themselves the production facility, which meets international quality standards and will soon be producing reagents in series.

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of the develoPPP.de/Covid 19 Response Program, which is implemented by the German Development Corporation (DEG). Further donations came from the logistics company Jungheinrich, the Wissen fair and private donors. “Thanks to this support, we will even be able to provide the reagents free of charge until March 2025,” Bonsmann happily states. In total, up to 86 selected hospitals in Tanzania are set to benefit from this, providing care for up to one million patients.

The first reagents had already been produced in Kibaha by the time the facility opened - initially in small quantities, but series production is now set to start in the coming weeks. This follows two years of planning and step-by-step implementation of the project.

In addition, action medeor also operates a training center for medical technology on the same site in Kibaha. This has created more than 20 jobs in Kibaha, with a further 20 to be created over the next three years. “In our medical technology training courses, we show participants how to store and use reagents correctly and how to maintain and repair medical equipment,” Christoph Bonsmann explains. The aim is to help reduce the downtime of diagnostic equipment in hospitals. “We want to make a sustainable contribution to the healthcare of the Tanzanian population,” Christoph Bonsmann says, explaining the aim.

The recently opened center in Kibaha with its reagent production and training center is a significant step in this direction. For action medeor, it also means an expansion of its portfolio as a pharmaceutical wholesaler. As such, action medeor already supplies many hospitals in Tanzania with medicines. In the field of medical technology, additional equipment, service and maintenance have been offered for some time. By expanding its range to include hematology reagents and training, action medeor now offers a special all-round package to meet the needs of local health centers. At the same time, this strengthens action medeor's mission. It is: “No one should die from treatable diseases.”

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