DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania is taking healthcare very seriously. A universal health insurance (UHI) for all Tanzanians will soon become a reality — and the country is already considered the region’s leading force in cancer treatment. Tanzania’s efforts in the area come as a response to rising cancer rates, with several specific types particularly unpleasant.
It makes sense that advanced nuclear medicine — which helps with quick diagnosing and effective treatment of cancer and other diseases at cellular level — is developing at an accelerated rate.
Although the country is putting a considerable effort into raising their own medical cadre — and are set to sponsor nearly 1500 medical students in 2025/26 alone — the lack of medical physicists is felt.
Here is how Professor Carolyne Nombo, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, commented on the issue: “Despite the government’s heavy investment in modern equipment, the number of qualified medical physicists in Tanzania remains extremely low.
At present, the country has only 12 medical physicists, yet every radiation centre requires at least one. [UDSM’s] programme was introduced to ensure that Tanzania develops its own experts locally rather than relying solely on training abroad”.
Medical physicists are the people responsible for operating PET (positron emission tomography) scanners and helping patients during scanning procedures. They are essential personnel alongside physicians.
Let’s look into how medical physicists tie into the overall medical personnel picture — and why Tanzania is looking to grow their own.
What is the current situation?
There are four kinds of nuclear medical professionals: physicists, physicians (doctors), pharmacists and technicians. Each is responsible for his own, narrow, area of expertise. Physicists monitor equipment and ensure its safe to use for patients and medical staff. Physicians are doctors — they interpret scan results and advise on a treatment course. Pharmacists are responsible for radiopharmaceuticals’ quality control, activity verification and regulatory compliance. Finally, technicians help operate equipment and prepare patients for scans.
Physicians and nurses can receive specialised training at Orci — the institute offers two programmes in that field, both backed by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). They also offer a programme in Medical Physics, now complemented by two new UDSM courses.
The remaining workforce gaps concern technicians and pharmacologists. A straightforward postgraduate degree for existing healthcare staff addresses the issue with technicians — people who operate the equipment and help patients during scans.
Pharmacology is a slightly bigger issue. South Africa is currently the only country on the continent with well-established specialist radiopharmacy programmes.
How does the country benefit in the long run?
Having more trained physicists means better oversight and higher safety standards at medical institutions. More doctors will lead to faster diagnostics of serious cellular-level diseases — primarily various cancer types — and subsequent treatment courses. Patients will no longer need to leave the country to seek professional help elsewhere. Finally, internally trained and retained pharmacologists will help the physicians out by preparing and quality-checking radiopharmaceuticals.
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In short, Tanzania will become more self-sustainable in a cutting-edge field of nuclear medicine. The country is already investing heavily in medical equipment in other fields. So nuclear medicine is likely to follow suit. South Africa can help with isotope import, while some other countries on the continent — like Kenya and Rwanda — are zeroing in on isotope production used as tracers in PET scanners.
Several international players — companies and agencies alike — also develop and export nuclear medicine technologies and share their expertise and innovations — as well as support local healthcare systems when it comes to diagnostics, treatment and research.
For example, German, French and Belgian companies supply the African continent with equipment and medical isotopes. Turkey’s Eczacıbaşı Monrol is another player, helping out Egypt with nuclear medicine machinery. Mantra Tanzania (a part of Rosatom Group) helps Tanzania’s local hospital with patient treatment and research.
Rosatom as a whole is one of the world’s leading producers and suppliers of isotopes used in radiopharmaceuticals. For example, its molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m are applied in diagnostics, while other isotopes are therapeutic and are used in the treatment of thyroid cancer, bone metastases and other oncological conditions.
The experience and expertise of major global nuclear medicine players can be useful as Tanzania continues to shape their future as a regional leader in healthcare.
What’s next for Tanzania?
Recent academic courses underline the seriousness of Tanzania’s intent to become one of the continent’s leading forces in nuclear medicine. The country has already made significant progress — and the foundations now in place show that this progress is deliberate, systematic and sustainable.
Tanzania is not starting from scratch, nor is it following in others’ footsteps. By investing in its own people while building strong international partnerships, the country is shaping a healthcare system that can serve its citizens with confidence — and stand as a model for the region. Major technological companies, agencies and countries — with a track record of creating cutting-edge nuclear medicine technology — can help Tanzania cement its position as one of the region’s healthcare leaders.