3/31/22.  SCF Chooses Rulenge Hospital for Next Solar Power Site.

     The Sandy Christman Foundation Board of Directors has agreed to fund a solar power electrical generation project at Rulenge Hospital in Rulenge, Tanzania.

   This will be the Foundations fourth solar power project in the Kagera region of western Tanzania which sits two degrees south of the equator. Rulenge Hospital was built  in 1952. It has 50 beds and supplies medical care to a poor, rural, growing population. The hospital lacks many basic medical services and is 420 km ( 252miles) from a tertiary medical center in Mwanza, Tz. 

    We believe medical progress cannot be made without medical infrastructure improvements. To supply 21st  century healthcare requires reliable, affordable electrical energy. Currently Rulenge hospital gets electricity from Tanesco, a gov’t. run utility and also from the  inefficient  diesel powered hospital generator. By most estimates the hospital lacks  electricity  for more than 6 hours a day.  Imagine attempting an emergency c- section operation in the middle of the night with no electric lighting or power. Providing reliable, affordable electricity will give patients at Rulenge  Hospital an even chance that the rest of the world takes for granted.

    There is more to this story that is very timely and appropriate. Solar powered electricity improves health care and save lives. It also reduces cost at this or any poor  underserved hospital. It can also be a zero carbon solution to climate change and to  improving public and planetary health. 

      Each project we  complete proves to local people that solar power is an achievable, reliable and an affordable alternative to the  inefficient, carbon based utility grid that exists throughout Africa.  We can help the developing world transition to a carbon free economy. And we can do it in equatorial Africa where the effects of climate change may prove to be the most severe.

   Please read the attached, powerful letter from Sr. Dionesia MD, the medical director of Rulenge Hospital ( below).

Sr. dionisia Jasson <sr.dionisiajasson@yahoo.com>

Dec. 31, 2021, 9:01 AM  

 Dear Dr. Larry,

Greetings from Rulenge Hospital.

I am Sr . Dionisia OSF, MD and I am currently working as an acting medical officer in charge of Christ the King Rulenge Hospital. I would like to introduce the hospital  as well.

Christ the King Rulenge Hospital is a voluntary agency that was established by Canadian Sisters in 1952 as a dispensary before being upgraded to the hospital level in 1956.  It is located 45 kms from Ngara District, headquarters in which there is another hospital, Murgwanza, 350 kms from the regional headquarters and 420 kms from Mwanza City in which the referral hospital, Bugando Medical Centre is located.

This is a general multidisciplinary hospital run by Rulenge Ngara Catholic Diocese under the ownership of the Diocesan Bishop.  Targeting patients of low and medium income levels the hospital belongs to the secondary care category providing services in integrated units of Diagnosis, out-patient and in-patient departments.  There are other ranges of services provided by the hospital such as Reproductive Health, dental and ophthalmic services, surgery, obstetrics, diagnostic imaging (X-ray, Ultrasound) HIV/AIDS treatment and control, Laboratory Services and Theatre.

Our hospital has two sources of electricity; from the national grid and from our generator. However, the national grid is not stable therefore most of the time the electricity goes out and we have to use the generator. The situation has grown worse over the past 6 months because most of the time the generator is at work. We have gone beyond the budget  twice for purchasing diesel. We have shortage of funds, the hospital's need for electricity is also increasing due to use of more electric devices and fuel prices are growing higher.  As a result of all this, sometimes we have failed to manage the demand and so to provide quality health services as per hospital level. For example, during the recent outbreak of COVID-19, we had many patients who were in need of Oxygen from electric oxygen concentrators. Some of these patients did not get oxygen because the electricity was very unstable and of low voltage. We managed to save many but among those who died inadequate supply of oxygen was the contribution to their failure to survive.

In addition, we have premature babies that need a good constant supply of electricity in order to succeed in managing them. When the electricity is not reliable, we lose most of them. Again, most of surgical procedures are being performed with difficulty especially at night when the electricity goes off suddenly and repeatedly.

We think that the presence of solar power as the alternative source of electricity will bring a great relief to us with regard to various challenges faced due to shortage of electricity at our hospital.

I would like to ask for your assistance in achieving this which will be a great support not only for the hospital but also for the residents of the catchment area who will be receiving medical treatment at our hospital.

I am grateful in advance.

SR. DIONISIA JASSON

SCF PLANS TO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH IN TANZANIA

 

1/3/22:  SCF PLANS TO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH IN TANZANIA

 

THE ISSUE:   Breast Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in the world. Globally approximately 700,000 women will die from Breast Cancer in 2022.  While there has been great progress in treatment in high income countries. Low and middle income countries lag behind because of lack of access to diagnosis and affordable  treatments. While the 5 year survival rate for all breast cancer exceeds 80% in rich countries, the 5 year survival is approximately 15% in low income countries. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women in Tanzania.  Even worse, breast cancer rates in Tanzania are projected to increase by 80% in the next decade. There are several reasons for these inequities.

   

THE PROBLEMS: 1) Late presentation. For cultural and geographic reasons breast cancer is still a hidden disease in Tanzania. Many Patients, families and communities consider this an unspeakable problem. This results in women presenting late in their disease which limits successful treatments.

     2) Lack of diagnostic facilities for pathological testing: There are many different kinds of breast cancer. Treatment begins with a surgical biopsy and then the biopsy specimen is sent to a laboratory. Identifying which kind of breast cancer the patient has determines what is the best treatment. Optimal treatment depends on the presence of estrogen receptors  ( ER) in the tumor. Estrogen receptor positive ( ER+) tumors can be treated with effective medicine taken as a pill. Estrogen receptor negative ( ER-) tumors  requires IV chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy. There a very few pathologists and pathology labs that are able to perform accurate diagnostic identification of breast biopsy specimens Tanzania. Additionally, there a very few patients who can afford to pay for pathological testing.

    3) Unaffordable and inaccessible treatments. Currently chemo and radiation therapy are only accessible at a few centers in the country. In contrast to expensive intravenous chemotherapy  or radiation therapy Tamoxifen, an estrogen receptor blocker, is inexpensive and easy to administer pill which is effective in treating ER+ breast tumors.

    ONE SOLUTION:  What if the diagnosis of a type of breast didn’t depend on a surgical biopsy or a hard to access expensive pathology lab? Could diagnosis be made with a simple blood specimen? It turns out there are blood tests that can identify  inflammatory agents ( biomarkers) that reflect the presence of  estrogen receptor positive ( ER+) breast cancer. This testing at local hospitals and clinics to identify the breast tumor sub type is called  Point of Care testing (POC). Point of care testing simplifies access and reduces cost. Estrogen Receptor ( ER) status determines treatment. ER+ breast cancers respond to hormonal therapy drugs such as Tamoxifen. 

   Targeted pragmatic treatment: Tamoxifen, which is classified as a WHO essential drug, is a low cost effective agent to treat ER+ breast tumors. This  could negate the need for radiation or chemo therapy which are prohibitive for poor rural populations.

   RESEARCH PROPOSAL: Instead of relying on hospital based pathological testing. This research project proposes to test the accuracy and efficiency of a  point of care

( POC) blood serum based analysis to identify a specific inflammatory BIO marker that identifies  ER+ breast tumors. ER status determines treatment. ER + breast tumors respond to Tamoxifen. This simplified and cost effective approach could save and extend lives in a resource poor country like Tanzania.