Zanzibar pledges to invest more in quality healthcare infrastructure

ZANZIBAR: THE Zanzibar Minister for Health, Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, has said the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar will continue investing in the construction and improvement of healthcare infrastructure to ensure citizens have access to quality health services.

He made the remarks during a special inspection tour to assess progress on various healthcare projects, including the construction of Mnazimoja Referral Hospital, the Mwembeladu project and health centres. He expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far.

Mazrui said the government was continuing to take measures to strengthen the health sector by developing infrastructure that would enable citizens to access services promptly, improve the efficiency of medical care and reduce challenges faced by people seeking treatment.

Speaking about the Mnazimoja Referral Hospital project, Mazrui said the government aims to complete construction by November 2027, allowing the facility to become operational and expand the hospital’s capacity to provide specialised medical services.

He explained that the project is being implemented through cooperation between the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and development partners, including the Saudi Fund, the Kuwait Fund and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), which have contributed to efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure in Zanzibar.

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The project manager, Engineer Mbarouk Hamad Mbarouk, said implementation was progressing well, with construction having reached 29.8 per cent completion.

He said the project team was continuing with construction work to ensure it remained on schedule, with completion expected by the end of 2027.

Mbarouk added that ongoing cooperation between the government and development partners was essential to ensuring the project was completed on time and achieved its intended objective of improving healthcare services for citizens.

The Mnazimoja Referral Hospital project, alongside the development of health centres, forms part of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar’s broader efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across the islands.