Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH) was first built by the Norwegian Lutheran Mission in 1953 at the request of the then existing government authorities with a capacity of 50 beds. It is about 80 km. south -west of district headquarters and about 300 km. from Arusha which is the main town and regional centre. (See map) Government wanted to develop the area ,cleared for tze tze asked mission to build.
The administration of the hospital was handed over to the local church , the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania,(ELCT), Mbulu Synod , in 1963. The hospital is under the Medical Board which in turn is elected by the General Assembly of ELCT, Mbulu Synod.
In 1967, after an obvious need to expand, the Lutheran World Federation and OXFAM (UK) and "Brot fur die Welt" funded the extension to a capacity of 250 beds. The hospital was officially opened by the then President, J.K. Nyerere. In 1983 E.Z.E (Germany) funded an extension and a modern building for laboratory and pediatric ward. Today HLH has a total of 350 beds, but most of the time the number of inpatients is up to 400 a day. The hospital has been part of the Tanzanian central health plan since 1967.
POPULATION
HLH is situated in the south west corner of the Mbulu District. It therefore bounders on other districts like Hanang, Iramba, Singida Rural and Meatu districts. In practice the hospital serves 5 districts, though 3 of these districts have district hospitals of their own. With the limited Government health budget, , and the subsequent shortage of drugs and equipment, Haydom has received many patients who could not be treated in these government hospitals.
Taking its regional impact into account, it has been estimated that Haydom serves approximately 390.000 people ( PHC Regional Report 1990). The official immediate catchments area has a population of about 100.000. Haydom village has a population of about 20.000 with an annual increase of 3.8 % (Arusha Reg. 1988 census).
Mbulu and Hanang are rural districts situated in the Northern highland of Tanzania, largely 1500-2000 m above sea level, in Arusha Region south of the famous Ngorongoro crater. The main ethnic groups residing there are Iraqw and Tatog; others in small numbers are Iramba, Nyaturu and Hadza. The Iraqw are agropastoralists while the Tatoga traditionally have been nomadic pastoralists, though many are now settling down starting agriculture. There is extensive intermarriage and cultural exchange between them. Even though wages are very low (minimum about 50$ a month), famine is not common because most people have their own fields, maize by far being the main crop followed by beans, millet and sunflower. Traditionally the Tatoga are much more vulnerable than the Iraqw, as they depend so much on their cattle. They are suspected to have a higher infant mortality. Preliminary data on utilization of hospital services shows 78% Iraqw and 15% Tatoga.
DISEASE PATTERN AND HEALTH SERVICES
The most common diseases in the area are: malaria, which is often multiresistant; tuberculosis; respiratory tract infections; gastroenteritis and diarrheal diseases like amoebiasis and giardiasis; relapsing fever, often following a serious course in pregnant women; HIV infection, still not very prevalent. (approx. 3.8% of blood donors). The hospital has been given the responsibility by the Tanzanian authorities to test all tuberculosis patients in the Mbulu district for HIV.
The health institutions in these areas are Government run district hospitals in Mbulu and Katesh, church hospitals in Karatu and Haydom (both Lutheran), several government and church run dispensaries (bedded and non-bedded).