The state hospital Mnazi Mmoja and the associated Mwembeladu Maternity Hospital of Zanzibar offer medical electives and internships in medicine, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. In addition, Mnazi Mmoja welcomes health care professionals from the above-mentioned disciplines to volunteer at the hospital. Elective students, interns and volunteers can also join the hospital’s charitable outreach program.

Mnazi Mmoja is the main hospital on the archipelago of Zanzibar. It is located just outside Stone Town, the historic centre of Zanzibar Town. This large hospital has years of experience working with foreign elective students and health care professionals. You can either complete your internship in one department or rotate through several departments (maximum one department per week recommended).

Hospital profile

At a glance

Departments available for internships:

Elective students can choose the following departments for their internship: Pediatrics (there are two wards, one for children from 0-3 years and one for 3-12 year olds), Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Internal Medicine (separated by wards for women and men), including Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Pulmonology and Nephrology; Surgery, Dermatology, Dentistry, Intensive Care Unit, HIV-Ward, Leprosy Ward (if you want to work here you need to have a tuberculosis vaccine), Neurosurgery , Radiology , ENT, Ophthalmology, Acupuncture, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy and Emergencies. The hospital also runs an Outpatient Clinic and has its own pharmacy where we can arrange internships for students of pharmacy.

City: Zanzibar Town
General practitioners: 10
Specialist physicians: 16
Assistant physicians: 20
Nurses: 0
Other especialists: 0
Annual outpatients 0
Total of beds: 510

Hospital Description

The hospital employs 16 specialist physicians, 10 general practitioners, 20 assistant physicians and 30 clinical officers (which is a term used in East Africa for qualified and licensed medical personnel that carry out general medical tasks such as diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries, instruction and evaluation of medical screenings, carrying out small standard surgery, and referral of patients to specialists). The hospital also runs an outreach program that elective students and volunteers can join. The program provides community medical services for people on the islands Unguja and Pemba who don't have access to health care. We will be happy to give you more information and show you how to register for the outreach program. The Mwembeladu Maternity Hospital located in the Mwembeladu area of Zanzibar Town, about 15 minutes by public transport from Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. The clinic is part of Mnazi Mmoja and specializes in maternity and childbirth. Mwembeladu Hospital has a prenatal (ante-natal) station and a maternity unit, including post-natal care. The prenatal unit includes pregnancy counselling, advice on family planning and HIV testing, apart from ultrasonic and preventative medical check-ups. If you are particularly interested in maternity and childbirth, we advise you to spend the first few weeks of your elective at the main hospital Mnazi Mmoja and then move to Mwembeladu Maternity Hospital for the second half of the time.

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Internship profile

Typical day and tasks of an intern

The official working hours for interns and volunteers are from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., from Monday to Friday. In addition, you may also choose to work in the hospital on afternoons or weekends. You will accompany the hospital staff in your department in their daily work and can carry out smaller tasks yourself under the supervision of your supervisor.

The hospital advises you to bring your own work wear, including: White coat and/or scrubs, clean shoes (e.g. white trainers) which should only be worn on hospital premises. If you are placed in the surgery theater, please also bring scrubs for the operation theater, medical face masks + hair nets. It is also recommended to bring your own stethoscope and hand sanitizer as well as disposable gloves.

Supervisors available

You will be assigned a supervisor from your field who will look after you during your elective. If your university / school has special requirements regarding the supervision of your elective, please let us know so that we can inform the hospital.

Requirements

Minimum age:


18

Maximum age:


99

Minimum qualification of the intern:


You must already be enrolled as a student / trainee in medicine / nursing / midwifery / pharmacy / physiotherapy / occupational therapy at a university or corresponding training position.

Application process

Documents required:


Please contact us for an overview of all necessary registration documents.

Application instructions:


As soon as you have sent us your complete application documents, we will submit your application to the hospital and can usually give you a confirmation within 15 days. Then you decide whether you want to take the place. Before that there are no costs for you.

Costs

  • 2 weeks 759 USD
  • 4 weeks 1022 USD
  • 8 weeks 1740 USD
  • 3 months 2305 USD
  • 6 months 0 USD
  • 1 year 0 USD

This includes:


* Dorm room accommodation at shared apartment in Zanzibar, shared with other foreign interns/volunteers (upgrade to single room accommodation is possible)
* Weekly hospital supervision fees
* Individual Consultation and Preparation prior to your arrival
* Access to Online Resource Centre which has Preparation Materials including Intercultural Preparation, compiled particularly for your destination (PDFs, Videos)
* Preparation Session via Skype; together with further participants
* Arrangements for your Visa and Work Permit or similar permit and other official permits (if required), but not the official government fees for it/them
* Pick-up and Transfers from/to Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ) on arrival and departure
* Personal support staff at your location and at our international office
* Orientation and Introduction in Zanzibar
* Accompanying you to your placement on your first day
* 24 Hours emergency support by local support team
* CO2 compensation of your long-haul flights: Costs for 10 seedlings of indigenous trees that we plant on the slopes of Kilimanjaro
* Local SIM Card with 10.000 TSH air time
* Issuance of Confirmations/Certificates for your university, scholarship, insurance, etc. and filling out/signing Internship Contracts for your university
* 15% Discount for Safaris, Kilimanjaro Climbs, Excursions and Watersports Activities offered by "Budget Safari Tanzania"

This does not include:


* Meals
* Travel to/from Zanzibar (you book it on your own; we can assist you)
* Official fees for Visa and Work Permit (around 150 USD)
* Insurance (Travel Health Insurance, Liability Insurance, Travel Cancellation insurance; you book it on your own, we can assist you)
* Personal Expenses
* Vaccinations
* Local Transport

What to bring:


The hospital advises you to bring your own work wear, including: White coat and/or scrubs, clean shoes (e.g. white trainers) which should only be worn on hospital premises. If you are placed in the surgery theater, please also bring scrubs for the operation theater, medical face masks + hair nets. It is also recommended to bring your own stethoscope and hand sanitizer as well as disposable gloves.

Request more information

I'm interested in a placement at this hospital. Please send me more information!