ISS outreach report.

Abstract

The 2014 Sub-Saharan African ISS outreach program visited the Department of Radiology of Muhimbili University, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The United Republic of Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa and is the 13th largest country in all of Africa. The republic was formed in 1964 with the amalgamation of Tanganyika and the islands of Zanzibar, Peruba, and Mafia in the Indian Ocean. There are over 100 languages spoken by the indigenous population including Kiswahili, Arabic, Kiunguja, and English (Figs. 1, 2, and 3). Tanzania is in the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the west by the Republic of Congo, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, and Lake Tanganyika. The northern borders include Uganda, Kenya, and Lake Victoria. To the south, the neighbors include, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. There is a population of 44.9 million, of which approximately 70 % is rural in location. The official capital is the city of Dodoma. However, the port city of Dar es Salaam is the country’s political capital, and principal commercial city, with a population of 4.6 million. Tanzania is a relatively poor country on a par with other sub-Saharan countries. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, but with strong mining (gold and tanzanite gems) and construction sectors. In recent years, economic growth has been driven by tourism, telecommunications, and banking. The official poverty rate fell from 38.6 % on 1991 to 33.4 % in 2007. Life expectancy is approximately 61 years. The under-five mortality rate is 54/1,000 births. The leading causes of death in children are pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, and prematurity. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is 3.1 %. The literacy rate is estimated at 73 %. Although education is compulsory for 7 years until the age of 15 years, it is estimated that only about 57 % of children between the ages of 5 and 14 regularly attend school. Education up to the secondary school level is free, but those families who can afford it often educate their children in private schools, which are numerous. There are two state medical schools, one in Dar es Salaam and the other in Kilimanjaro. Medicine is a 6-year post-secondary school course and graduates are awarded Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery diplomas. After a 1-year internship, the young doctors have the option of practicing as general practitioners (non-specialists) or going into specialist training. Radiology is a 4-year graduate university course after which the trainees take the MSc degree exam. The graduating radiologists are awarded a Master of Science degree in Radiology. The university campus incorporates the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), the Muhimbili