Military medical teams from six East African Community (EAC) Partner States treated 11,439 people during the 6th EAC Armed Forces Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Week in Tanzania.
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The week-long activities, which ran from August 26 to September 1, brought together armed forces from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and host country Tanzania.
The wider medical campaign covered communities in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Zanzibar and the Coast Region.
A 20-member Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) medical contingent treated 2,874 people at Tumbi Regional Referral Hospital in the Coast Region, working alongside the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) and local medical teams.
The closing ceremony was held in Dar es Salaam and coincided with the TPDF anniversary. Maj Gen Alex Kagame, RDF Reserve Force Chief of Staff, represented Rwanda at the ceremony.
The activities focused on medical services, humanitarian assistance and strengthening relations between the military and civilian communities.
The RDF team, led by Brig Gen Jean Chrysostome Kagimbana, offered services in specialties including orthopaedics, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, paediatrics, dental care, dermatology and ophthalmology.
TPDF Chief of Defence Force Gen Jacob John Mkunda thanked the participating EAC Partner States for joining the CIMIC Week and celebrations to mark the 62nd anniversary of the TPDF.
Mkunda called for stronger cooperation among Partner States and closer engagement between the armed forces and civilian communities in the spirit of "one people, one destiny.”
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The activities also gave communities an opportunity to interact directly with military medical personnel.
Emmanuel Germana from Kibaha District praised the services at Tumbi Regional Referral Hospital, saying she and her grandchildren were treated with "respect and humility.”
Dr Amani Malima, the hospital’s Medical Officer in Charge, said the initiative had helped change the community’s perception of the military.
He said the activities showed that the military can also "care for and serve civilians.”