Luhimba is a very remote village and access to medical treatment in the 1970s and ’80s was difficult. Diseases like malaria were rife. Life expectancy in those days was around 50. When the project started, it was difficult to get patients to the hospital for operations etc, so the villagers needed medical facilities closer to home. The project built a new clinic, The Angela Carey Dispensary in 1987, and appointed a full-time doctor, George Pallangyo.
The dispensary could treat day-to-day ailments like malaria and diabetes, saving many lives. We raised funds to train the doctor to treat trachoma, a painful disease of the eyes which causes blindness. A family planning programme was set up, screening for aids, and a MCH (mother and child health) scheme to help mothers and children from surrounding villages. In 1992 a 20-bed ward was added to the dispensary, where small operations could be carried out. George Pallangyo retired in 2018 and a new young doctor (Dr. Magige) was appointed. As well as a full-time doctor, the dispensary now has 4 nurses and a midwife.
All this has done so much to improve public health and help extend life expectancy, which is now over 60 in Tanzania. Another big step forward has been the introduction of Covid vaccinations in designated centres.
The Luhimba Project 