Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Honorable Deputy Prime Minister, Honorable Minister, Cher Ambassador,

It is such a pleasure to be here today.

On behalf of the Aga Khan Health Services and Aga Khan University, it's not often that we get to inaugurate this kind of investment.

I think that Dr. Heiss and my colleagues would all tell you that the overall AKDN health system, whether it's this year, I believe we'll see about 12 million patients around the world, inpatient and outpatient.

We work in about a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, including Pakistan.

And most of our work has to do with primary care, has to do with village level care and investments which are spread over large populations and preventative interventions. So, to inaugurate something like this cancer center is exceptional for us and is a real joy.

This happened very quickly, but we weren't counting on the determination and the drive of Zeenat and the project team.
And I would like to say that the first time I visited this hospital was in 1988. And my father told me to look out for what impact the hospital was having in the country. And I have to say it was amazing back in 1988 to see the patients waiting in the courtyard, to see the rooms that were clean, but nothing exceptional, to see the level of standard of care that was provided in a very simple institution.

Today, to see this incredible tertiary investment in Dar es Salaam is a testament not only to the progress that Tanzania is making in healthcare, progress that AKDN, Aga Khan Health Services and Aga Khan University are causing to happen in the countries where we work, but also to the vision of this system to be able to provide healthcare to millions at the primary level, but also provide advances to this level of care. Where we're really seeing the height of technology in healthcare. And to Dr. Zeenat, to all the project team, to Agence Francaise, to Institut Curie, and to all of our partners, to Ocean Road, to our Tanzanian partners, to the Ministry of Health, thank you for making this possible.

And for me personally, it is so inspiring to see this level of healthcare in our system. It's exceptional.
And I thank you all,
to the project team, and everyone involved in this.

Asante sana.