Dar es Salaam— More than 200 kidney patients at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) were left stranded and distressed after a prolonged 15-hour power outage disrupted dialysis services and critical medical care, prompting urgent calls for government intervention and emergency infrastructure reforms.
The power outage, which began at around 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, affected the children’s building including dialysis units and intensive care wards. While the hospital’s emergency generator initially kicked in, it soon failed, plunging the entire building into darkness and halting life-sustaining treatments.
Dialysis is a vital medical procedure used to filter waste and excess fluids from the blood when the kidneys fail.
Delays in treatment can lead to severe health complications, including swelling, fluid overload, vomiting, and even death.
Several patients, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a terrifying night with no communication or medical support.
“The entire building lost power at around 9 p.m., and when the generator came on, it failed shortly after. They told us the generator is faulty and they’re trying to repair it, but Tanesco hasn’t shown up.We haven’t received any treatment. Even ICU patients had to be moved to other wards,” one dialysis patient said.
Another patient added, “I was supposed to start dialysis at 4 a.m., but I’ve been waiting ever since. My body is swollen, my stomach feels heavy, and others are vomiting. We are just sitting outside, helpless. For those of us with total kidney failure, these machines are our only hope.”
A mother from Tegeta, whose child is admitted at the hospital, said they struggled through the night without electricity, enduring both heat and fear.
“Some children on oxygen were transferred, but others remained. If power doesn’t return soon, we’ll spend another night in darkness.”
Responding to the outcry, MNH Head of Communication and Public Relations, Aminiel Aligaesha, confirmed the incident and attributed the blackout to a technical failure involving two of the three main power phases supplying the building.
When the final phase also failed, the transformer and emergency generator were damaged, further deepening the crisis.
“Power to the pediatric building went out early Monday morning at around 5 a.m. after two phases failed. As we attempted to switch to the remaining phase, it also failed, which caused a fault in the transformer. This subsequently damaged key components of the backup generator, including the relay and the control module,” Aligaesha explained.
He noted that Tanesco engineers, along with technicians from Delta the generator service provider have been on-site since the incident occurred, working non-stop to resolve the issue.
In the interim, critical patients have been relocated. “Children in ICU have been distributed to other pediatric ICU units and emergency areas. Some have been transferred to the maternity building, which still has power,” Aligaesha said.
He added that arrangements were being made for dialysis patients to receive treatment at nearby hospitals, acknowledging the urgency of the matter.
“We serve a large number of dialysis patients daily. We are working with neighboring hospitals to ensure they can continue treatment while we restore power.”he added
Tanesco’s Ilala Regional Manager, Regina Mvungi, confirmed the company had dispatched engineers to the site immediately after the outage was reported.
“Our technicians have been working on the issue since last night. If there had been a more serious technical barrier, I would have been informed. I believe the repairs will be completed soon,” she said.
The incident has raised serious concerns about the resilience of emergency systems in Tanzania’s leading national hospital.
Families and patients are demanding urgent investment in reliable power backup infrastructure to prevent such critical lapses from recurring.
“This is not just an inconvenience it’s a matter of life and death,” said one caregiver. “We need assurance that this won’t happen again.”
Source Mwananchi Digital
