Hospitals in Zanzibar

There are two options. The first option are clinical electives for medical students and students of nursing and other medical professions, the second option are volunteering activities for professionals from the medical area (e.g. physicians, nurses, therapists, laboratory technicians).

1. Clinical electives and student placements

We can arrange clinical electives and student placements at the government medical institutions of Zanzibar.

Typically, clinical electives will take place at the Mnazi Mmoja main hospital in Zanzibar town. However, it is also possible to do an elective at the smaller cottage hospitals which are spread across the island. They are more like a general practicioner's surgery/office. And it is possible to join Mnazi Mmoja's outreach program accompanying the specialist physicians which are visiting the cottage hospitals at certain days of the week.

At Mnazi Mmoja clinical elective students can choose between the following wards: paediatrics (there are two wards, one for children from 0-3 years old and one from 3-12 years old), gynaecology, internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, dental, HIV ward, eyes, leprosy ward (those interested in the leprosy ward need to proof vaccination against tuberculosis), ENT, acupuncture, physiotherapy/ occupational therapy, and outpatients' department. For students of pharmaceutics it is also possible to do a clinical elective in the hospital's pharmacy.

If you are interested, you can also combine an elective at Mnazi Mmoja with activity with other medical organisations in Zanzibar, such as "ZOP" (Zanzibar Outreach Program). ZOP regularly performs medical outreach programs in rural areas in Zanzibar and Pemba Island, focusing on ENT. Another organisation is the "Zanzibar Nurses Association" that is regularly giving nursing classes.

If during your stay in Zanzibar any other medical organisation will perform some medical activities related to your field of interest, we will automatically inform you. 

For students, there is an official weekly fee which has to be paid at all government hospitals. Please see details about the costs below.

2. Professional medical volunteers

For professionals from the medical field (e.g. physicians, nurses, therapists, medical technicians) we can arrange volunteer options at the government hospitals of Zanzibar, at the Al Rahma private hospital and at other medical organisations.

All hospitals and organisations are explicitly looking for experienced volunteer physicians such as retired specialists, or physicians who are looking for new challenges in a developing country. Particularly, there is a need for surgeons, cardiologists, gynaecologists (only female doctors), diabetes specialists, radiologists, pediatricians, orthopaedists, general physicians, nurses and laboratory technicians. 

Professionals can also join the activities at the cottage hospitals and with the Zanzibar Outreach Program (please refer to details at the paragraph about Clinical Electives).

Professionals with experience can be excluded from official fees. This will be decided by the Health Ministry for each case. Foreign professional volunteers who want to work on their own (not under the supervision of a local physician) however in all cases require registration from the Health Ministry.

Registration from the Health Ministry involves high bureaucratic efforts that we will do for professionals as part of the trouble-free package before they arrive in Zanzibar. Additional costs for official certificates and accreditation may apply.

Professionals who only come to visit Zanzibar for a couple of days (for instance to train medical staff in Zanzibar or to assist at medical screenings) these formalities will however not be necessary. Another possibility for professionals is to register as "elective students" which will reduce the amount of bureaucracy, but in that case the weekly fees for elective students will apply.

Mnazi Mmoja Hospital

Mnazi Mmoja is the main hospital on the archipelago of Zanzibar. It is located at the Mnazi Mmoja area just outside Stone Town, the historic centre of Zanzibar Town. Please see the list of wards at the paragraph about electives.

All government hospital, including Mnazi Mmoja and the hospitals on the island of Pemba (Hospital of Wete, Hospital of Chake Chake and Abdallah Mzee Hospital Mkoani) have been set up by socialist countries during the time when Tanzania was still a socialist nation. Medical exchange programs between Tanzania and these countries still continue and there are regularly foreign physicians from countries such as Cuba, China, Russia and Sweden.

Download:

5-year Human Resource Development Plan for the Zanzibar/Pemba Health System (2004/5-2008/9), Ministry of Health & Social Welfare Zanzibar. 

PDF-Download (840kb) (Right-click and "Save as...")

Al Rahma Private Hospital

Al Rahma private hospital opened in the year 2000. It has the reputation to be the hospital with the highest medical standards on the island.

From the 70 persons of staff, there are 4 full-time physicians (three general practitioners and one anaesthetist), 10 part-time doctors (who also work at the government hospital Mnazi Mmoja) and 22 nurses. The hospital has an outpatient's department and an in-patient department which can accommodate 45 patients (separate dormitories and single rooms for men, women and children), two operating theatres (surgeries), X-ray department, ultrasonic, ENT department, delivery/maternity ward, laboratory, ambulance and dispensary.

The hospital is located around 3 km outside of Stone Town and can easily be reached by public transportation.

Al Rahma only accepts professionals, no students. There are no fees to be paid to Al Rahma by volunteers.  

Info box:

Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Duration: For qualified physicians: Upon mutual agreement; for students: 2 weeks to 12 months.

Specific qualification required: Yes/No

If there are vacant elective positions, also internships are possible for those who have not yet started their medical studies/professional training.

Costs: The official weekly fee which is charged by the government hospitals to foreign elective students and volunteers currently is 75 US$. This amount has to be paid in cash directly to the hospital. A big portion of the running costs of the hospitals are met by these payments of foreign elective students. For professionals, the Health Ministry will decide in each case whether a fee will be charged or not.

Because of the bureaucracy and time-consuming communication  that we have to do with the government hospitals and ministry, it is obligatory for elective students to book our trouble-free package. As the effort for arranging the right permits will vary depending on the duration of your elective, the prices for the trouble-free package are as follows:

Clinical elective at government hospitals under 3 months: 250 Euro; clinical elective at government hospitals of more than 3 months: 500 Euro. Professionals at Mnazi Mmoja and Al Rahma: 500 Euro. We will not charge anything to professionals who only wish to visit for a couple of days (and don't need permits) for instance to train local medical staff or assist at screenings.

Students wishing to do research for their doctoral dissertation generally need an additional research permit and need to be assigned a supervisor from Mnazi Mmoja - this involves further costs.

The costs we charge for the trouble-free package are independent from and don't include the officials fees charged by the government hospitals.

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Not included

Inclusive of: Placement in the project + the whole range of services which is part of the special trouble-free package for placements at the government hospitals of Zanzibar

Not included: Travel, health insurance, visa, work permit

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