The Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute has inaugurated a modern laboratory equipped with artificial intelligence and robotic sample-processing systems, describing it as the largest facility of its kind in East Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
JKCI Chief Executive Officer Peter Kisenge said the investment forms part of the Sixth Phase Government’s efforts, through the Ministry of Health, to ensure patients receive faster and higher-quality services. “This laboratory has a modern system capable of analysing samples precisely, reducing human error, and detecting diseases even at their earliest stages,” he said.
The facility has cut waiting times for test results from three hours to just one hour and can process large volumes of samples quickly, helping reduce patient congestion.
Kisenge said the laboratory also serves as a live training facility for local health professionals, providing new knowledge and expert guidance in scientific diagnostics, and reinforces the institute’s role as a leading medical research and treatment hub in the SADC region and East Africa.
The institute has also expanded its use of technology in patient care more broadly, including the AI-enabled patient monitoring system Dozee, introduced in 2024. The system allows doctors to track vital signs including heart rate, respiration and blood pressure in real time, even when patients are outside the hospital. More than 100 patients have already benefited from the service.
In 2025, JKCI launched an online appointment system used by more than 71,000 patients, reducing waiting times, alongside a family registration system to improve visiting procedures and ward security.
The institute performs more than 800 open-heart surgeries annually and has introduced complex procedures including TAVI and specialized pediatric surgeries such as the Ozaki procedure and Truncus repair, performed for the first time in Africa at the facility. These developments have reduced the need for Tanzanians to travel abroad for cardiac treatment, cutting costs while boosting medical tourism.
Over the past four years, JKCI has opened six branches in Tazara, Kawe, Oysterbay, Kariakoo, Chato and Arusha, increasing daily patient numbers from an average of 400 in 2022 to more than 1,100 in 2025. Through government funding, more than 300 children have received free heart surgery, including more than 30 undergoing major open-heart procedures.
Looking ahead, the institute plans to introduce heart transplantation services by 2030 and aims to open an international branch to further strengthen Tanzania’s position as a medical tourism hub in Africa.
