At a ceremony here Wednesday, the Masaika clinic, the central point of health care for nearly 1,800 people, reopened after renovation by the Hamcon Company.
Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa awarded a $33,435 contract on Sept. 24, 2008. Construction started in January 2009. The district commissioner of Pangani, Zipora Pangani, requested the Civil Affairs Team of the 486th Civil Affairs Battalion and the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania to consider the Masaika clinic for renovation in August 2007.
"The clinic was in bad condition," said Abdillah Ndamungu, the doctor of the Masaika Clinic. "There was no electricity, no water and no toilets."
The clinic, built in 1980, needed repairs. The roof leaked and the structure of the building was in poor condition. There was also a problem with animals, mosquitoes and other insects entering the clinic through the windows.
"Medical waste was burned in an open pit outside the clinic, and the clinic's water source is almost five miles away," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Williams, of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania. "The condition of the clinic justified renovation because of the number of patients it serves."
"The government of Tanzania and the local people worked together to renovate the clinic to improve the medical care for the citizens here," said Larry André, U.S. Embassy chargé de Affaires.
The Hamcon Company, a contractor from Tanga, repaired the roof, walls and floors. The company replaced ceilings, doors, lights and electrical outlets. They also installed a rain water collection cistern, four solar panels, toilets, a medical waste incinerator and a septic tank.
"The condition of the clinic before the renovation was very bad," said Beatrice Masoud, a clinic patient and resident of Tosaika village. "I'm happy. It looks like new with more space."
The Masaika village is in the Pangani District, Tanga Region, of Tanzania, near Kenya's boarder. The clinic provides for the people of the Masaika Village, Mivumont Village and villages in the Muheza District to the north.
"The renovation and a new mircoscope will do good work to serve the people of Masaika," said Ndamungu.
"A small thing like the clinic renovation has made such an impact," said Williams. "It makes us want to do more projects that help the community."
Subscribe
