Building Paramedic Systems in Tanzania

Building Paramedic Systems in Tanzania

Last year, Nathan and his friend had the opportunity to spend five weeks in Arusha, Tanzania. Currently, when someone gets into a car accident in Arusha they rarely receive medical treatment as there are no ambulances. This has led to mortality rates that are more than double that of the United States. Nathan knew they had to make a change in this country, and so they did.

Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) is a Minnesota based 501(c)(3) responsible for consultation and education in emergency medicine and mental health. In 2018, they began The Arusha Project (TAP), after spending six weeks in Arusha working with Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC).

There are limited options available for emergency treatment and transport to the hospital in Arusha, Tanzania. This has had a dramatic impact on health, wellbeing, and life expectancy within this community of over 416,000. In Tanzania, traffic-related deaths account for 32.9 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. This is more than three times the incidence in the United States.

They are looking to fund a Police Trauma Treatment Introduction (PTTI) course developed by KOPI and hosted at ALMC. The Arusha Regional Police Department (APD) employees 293 officers. These officers have personal vehicles, radio communication capability, and a functioning dispatch center. KOPI and ALMC believe that by training these officers in basic trauma care and implementing a clear transport protocol, they will improve mortality rates in prehospital trauma victims.

They started the Bonfire t-shirt fundraiser to help fund this project. 100% of the proceeds from this campaign and the shirts for sale in their online store went directly to supporting The Arusha Project, including the purchase of supplies, related travel expenses, and other materials. Every dollar raised will have a monumental impact on the lives of the people of Arusha.

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