“From The Heart For The Heart”

The Tanzania Heart Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated for the treatment of heart, blood vessels, chest and related diseases through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and patient care in Tanzania. The institute provides valuable services to improve the health care and education to Tanzania and to the East African people at large. At the institute a patient is the most important visitor; he is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him; he is not an interruption on our works, he is the purpose of it: he is not an outsider, he is a part of our institute; we are not doing him a favor by treating him, he is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.

February 28, 2003
American heart surgeons visit Tanzania to perform open-heart surgeries. more info>

May 2006
Tanzania Heart Institute, an affiliate of the World Heart Foundation, moved to its new location in May2006. more info>

Tanzania Heart Institute was founded by Dr. Ferdinand B. Masau, a Tanzanian born cardiovascular surgeon, during his cardiovascular surgery training at the Texas Heart Institute in the United States. The institute is registered and incorporated in the State of Texas as a non-profit organization and is tax-exempted under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) (3). The organization has several members on its Board of Directors from Texas Medical Center among others being world-renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Denton A. Cooley who is the Founder, President and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Texas Heart Institute.

History

Early THI premises.

Tanzania Heart Institute was officially registered in Tanzania in September 2000 and incorporated as a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) and also tax-exempted organization. The institute’s hospital was officially registered in May 2002 and is presently running at temporally premise in Mikocheni A area along Old Bagamoyo Road, in Dar es Salaam. A new premise for the institute is being developed in collaboration with the Tanzania leading investment organization, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

The organization is dedicated to offering cardiovascular services at an affordable cost while ensuring a high quality of care to cardiovascular patients. Cardiovascular diseases are one of the top ten causes of morbidity and mortality in Tanzania affecting more than 4,000 children and adults each year. Forty percent of the cardiac cases are congenital cases involving young children and while sixty percent is due to acquired heart disease in both children and adults. In collaboration with interested parties, the Tanzania Heart Institute will provide a second chance for many patients who otherwise would have no alternative care.

Location

Tanzania Heart Institute is located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania along the East African coastline. Tanzania is known for its natural beauty and abundant resources such as minerals. The home of Zanzibar Island which is known for its spices (Spice Island), the Serengeti wild park, the Kilimanjaro mountain, the Ngorongoro crater and Lake Victoria. Tanzania attracts thousands of visitors annually to share in its natural beauties.

Recognition

Tanzania Heart Institute is recognized both inside and outside of Tanzania for her policy of providing heart treatment service to all kind of people at the lowest price and charity services. This is due to the appreciation of Tanzanian government to exempt Tanzania Heart Institute of tax payment for helping people with heart diseases, especially the poor and children.

Since the cost of treatment of heart diseases are high, THI has been striving to care all heart patients. So far we have agreement with Medex, a health insurance company operating in Tanzania and abroad.

Tanzania Heart Institute is officially affiliated to the World Heart Foundation.

Patron of Tanzania Heart Institute

Dr. Denton A. Cooley, Founder, President and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Texas Heart Institute

Board of Directors

Chairman: Dr. Ferdinand B. Masau, MD, Founder and President of the Tanzania Heart Institute
Secretary: Mr. Deo Lyato ,MBA, Tanzania
Dr. Edwin Mung’ong’o Representative from Ministry of Health, Tanzania
Dr. Ramadhani Dau CEO – National Social Security Fund, Tanzania
Dr. Adelhelm Meru Engineer and Training Specialist, Tanzania
Mr. Alfred Philip Representative from CRDB Bank LTD, Tanzania
Mrs. S.M.J. Mwambenja CEO – Exim Bank, Tanzania
Hon. Getrude Mongella MP and President of the African Unity Parliament, Tanzania
Dr. Doreen Rosenstrauch Assistant Professor, Texas Heart Institute and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA
Mr. Lee Evey Ass. Director, Respiratory Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, USA
Ms. Rita Lenz CEO – Project Open Hearts, USA
Dr. Thomas Pezzella, President and CEO-World Heart Foundation and ICHF, USA
Dr. Guenter Hennersdorf Consultant Cardiologist, SES-Germany
Representative from Heart Centre Verde – Denmark

Members of the Medical Advisory Board

Dr. W. Gerald Rainer, Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Historian and
Past President of Society of Thoracic Surgeons, from Denver, Colorado
Dr. Denton A. Cooley, Founder, President and Chief Surgeon of Texas Heart Institute,
Houston, Texas
Dr. Yadin David, Director of Biomedical Engineering and Telemedicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Texas Heart Institute

THI in the News

What Can I do?

THI is a
non-profit, tax exempt entitiy in Tanzania and a non-profit, tax exempt entity incorporated in the State of Texas.

What Can I do?

Gifts donated to our institute are used for purchasing of medical equipment and supplies for developing the surgical program.

Gifts also provide educational services to the public, focusing on ways to minimize risks of cardiac diseases.

Therefore, you may make a gift to the institute. Nothing is too small if it comes “from the heart for the heart.”

Consider an “In Memoriam” gift in memory of a friend, family member, or loved one. Or consider a corporate or matching gift.

You can also make a donation by check made payable to : Tanzania Heart Institute and mail it to:
Tunisia and Kilimani Roads
ADA Estate - Kinondoni
P . O. Box 65096
Dar-es-Salaam, TANZANIA