It has been another exciting year for Madaktari Africa! We returned to Tanzania three times in 2023 for cardiology train-forward mission trips!

In April, Dr. Matt Sackett led a Centra team that performed procedures to implant pacemakers and to treat arrhythmias. Over five days in July, Dr. David Singh with The Queen’s Medical Center in Hawaii and Dr. Nitish Badhwar with Stanford University performed 21 electrical heart procedures, teaching medical professionals at Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) how to perform these independently one day very soon. Also in July, Dr. Thom Dahle with CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center in Minnesota trained JKCI staff on the new Phillips Ultrasound and performed JKCI’s first leg artery stent!

We also started an exciting new neurosurgery train-forward venture. Through a partnership with the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI), Dr. Kerry Vaughan has been working and volunteering at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), helping start a neurosurgery program! Dr. Vaughan started training KCMC medical staff in neurosurgery in May and will remain in Tanzania into 2024 as a part of this project.

In November, for the first time, Madaktari Africa, JKCI, and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science (MHUAS) participated in a joint clinical case review, with Dr. Mazen Albaghdadi and Dr. Peter O’Brien representing Madaktari Africa. This virtual engagement with our Tanzanian colleagues gives us an opportunity to share best practices and understand the unique challenges faced by cardiovascular professionals in East Africa.

These efforts are at the core of our mission: To advance medical expertise and care in sub-Saharan Africa through the training and education of local medical personnel. Through the train-forward model, we teach sub-Saharan African healthcare providers to perform lifesaving procedures themselves so that future healthcare delivery is sustainable once our Madaktari Africa volunteers leave the country.

We will return to Tanzania in 2024. But to do that, we need your help. Your gift will save lives.

As 2023 draws to a close, please support Madaktari Africa’s efforts to improve health care in sub-Saharan Africa with your most generous gift possible. Thank you for considering a gift to Madaktari Africa. We wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.