Not without unexpected challenges...

"At the beginning of January, all donations to the hospital should be transferred to a government account". As prescribed by the local medical authorities by mail.  However, as this is not possible from the side of the sponsors, the medical donations have not been transferred to Tanzania since the beginning of the year.

On short notice we had to leave the operation of the hospital.

It is now the large number of patients from the community and supporters from various sectors who are helping to negotiate a new legal status for the hospital in meetings held at all political levels.

In January we were called to Dodoma to talk to ministers there and yesterday the Minister of Health, the press and a delegation (a convoy with more than 10 cars) came to personally evaluate the situation.

"It is not possible to change the status of ownership in Tanzania from a public hospital to a 'charitable hospital' at the moment. "

However, he will help us to get administrative and financial control and responsibility for the hospital through a new memorandum.

The institution is urgently needed and we are asked by the government to continue operations.

According to the minister, nothing now stands in the way of the status 'hospital'. And we are thus fulfilling an important health policy goal - to bring good quality medical care to rural areas.

We sincerely hope to find a quick way to conclude a mutually beneficial memorandum to resume our vision and the path of a charitable hospital together with the state authorities in the near future.

We, our medical team and many patients hope that it will happen soon... but it will certainly take two to four more weeks. However, without a clear memorandum that allows us financial transparency and independent operation, we cannot run the hospital in a responsible manner.

We are working on a long-term sensible solution and a new basis, in which we also consider the new legal framework of the country. One and a half years ago we were instructed to follow the path towards a charitable hospital. Many official procedures were necessary. However, it seems legally no longer possible to run it as an independent charitable institution. But in discussions at the highest level, new and meaningful paths are emerging.

We are hoping for successful and above all prompt negotiations for the benefit of the numerous patients waiting for treatment:

a hospital with a new memorandum.