The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi was originally a private institution providing service to the northern part of Tanzania. It acts as a tertiary hospital and is linked to the medical faculty of the Tumaini University. Since 2009 the Eye Care Foundation supports the eye department of the KCMC. The support consists of training in primary skills for first year ophthalmologists in training and educating the staff in various subspecialties. The students not only come from Tanzania, but also from neighbouring countries. The high quality of education at KCMC makes it attractive to students.
Since the Eye Care Foundation supports the KCMC, the results of the students have greatly improved. The high quality of education also resulted in an increase in the number of students. The team at the KCMC has been strengthened and expanded in recent years. This means that the support of the Eye Care Foundation can be reduced. Most likely 2017 will be the last year that the KCMC needs our support. This step towards independence is a very positive development for the KCMC.
Ophthalmologist Arie van Oosterwijk tells what a day of teaching is like, “In the morning we discussed several chapters from the textbook. Then two students presented the content to the group. Both the group and myself, then gave feedback on the content and presentation skills. In the afternoon we went to the eye department. Here, students learn how to apply their acquired knowledge into practice”.
