Kidney patients in Njombe and surrounding areas will no longer have to travel long distances to seek dialysis treatment following the launch of kidney blood cleaning services at Njombe Regional Referral Hospital.
The introduction of the service is part of the government’s efforts to expand access to specialised healthcare by ensuring regional referral hospitals across the country provide essential treatments closer to citizens.
Deputy Minister of Health Dr Florence Samizi, speaking on behalf of Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa during her working visit to Njombe Region on July 7, 2026, said the move responds to the government’s directive requiring all regional referral hospitals to establish dialysis units.
Dr Samizi said expanding dialysis services to regional hospitals would reduce the financial and logistical challenges faced by patients who previously had to travel to other regions for regular treatment.
“The directive from the Minister of Health is that every regional referral hospital should establish dialysis services so that citizens do not have to travel long distances to access this important treatment. Njombe has started, and hospitals that have not yet launched the service should speed up preparations,” she said.
She directed hospitals that are yet to introduce dialysis services to complete the necessary preparations, including improving infrastructure, acquiring medical equipment and ensuring availability of qualified healthcare professionals.
Dr Samizi said the government, under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, remains committed to strengthening specialised and advanced medical services in public hospitals to improve access and quality of care for Tanzanians.
Njombe Regional Referral Hospital’s Medical Officer in Charge said the facility has already installed 12 dialysis machines, enabling the hospital to begin providing services to kidney patients.
He said the availability of the service in Njombe would significantly reduce the challenges previously experienced by patients who had to seek treatment outside the region, while promising continued efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
The launch of dialysis services at the hospital represents another milestone in the government’s drive to bring specialised medical care closer to wananchi and strengthen the capacity of public health facilities.
