JK WANTS MLOGANZILA RESIDENTS OUT

President Jakaya Kikwete has ordered residents of Mloganzila to vacate the area to pave the way for the construction of a campus and medical centre for Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) saying they have already been compensated.

The President said claims by the residents to be paid disturbance allowances out of compensation were baseless saying that the hospital and campus is for the public interest.

“Individual goods are inferior to public goods”… this is unacceptable…actions will be taken against those who defy the order,” he said.

Kikwete made the remarks yesterday in Dar es Salaam at the inauguration of buildings for maternal and children services in three health centres located at Mnazi Mmoja, Sinza and Mbagala Rangi Tatu constructed by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

He also received three ambulances and medical treatment equipment funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

President said although the process has been long the construction of the hospital and MUHAS campus will start in January next year since all the processes have been completed.

The hospital will have modern equipment for examining and treating diseases. By January 2015 the medical centre at the campus will go into operation.

He said the area of 3000 acres was owned and utilised by Tanganyika Packers as ranch, but after the factory collapsed, people decided to go and live at the area without government’s permission.

He said the country was facing shortage of doctors, nurses and health workers who are expected to come from the new campus of MUHAS, which has the capacity to accommodate at least 12,000 medical students, compared to the current 250 students per year.

For his part, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr Seif Rashid said after 51 years of Independence, the country has succeeded in several areas including bringing health delivery services closer to the people, improving referral services at the regional level and upgrading the Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT) and Lugalo Military Hospital to the level of zone referral hospitals.

Meanwhile, Korean Ambassador to Tanzania Chung IL said the government of Korea and its people decided to assist the government of Tanzania through the project of constructing the three health centres at the cost of USD 4.5m.

Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Said Meck Sadiki said the region is facing the challenge of having high population compared to the health services provided by the hospitals. He appealed for 1.2bn/- from President Kikwete to compensate the residents at Mbagala Rangi Tatu area so as to expand the healthcare centre at the same area.

Last year the residents of Mloganzila Kwembe area, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, asked the government to pay them the remainder of their land compensation amounting to 30bn/-, short of which they will block construction of the new campus and medical centre for MUHAS.

According to Mloganzila Residents Compensation Committee secretary Khamis Mzinga, the residents reportedly agreed with the government in November 2010 that they would be compensated for all properties, including land compensation of 9m/- per hectare and an extra 20 per cent as disturbance allowance.