We co-operate with various medical service providers in northern Tanzania. We will work with you to identify the best placement based on your wishes, previous experience and qualifications. 

You can choose between various hospitals in and around Arusha or support our community outreach programme in the form of medical outreach - providing medical service to rural and impoverished groups. A combination of two placements is also possible, depending on the length of your stay. 

One of our hospitals is a medical facility located in the center of Arusha which is run by the church. Specializations include paediatrics and obstetrics, tuberculosis and malaria testing and treatment, HIV / AIDS counseling as well as diagnosis and therapy as part of the US support program, ophthalmology and a broad-based surgical clinic. It is a full-service hospital and especially suitable for pre-medicals who would like to shadow the local medical professionals and gain a broad insight into medical day-to-day life in Tanzania. Our volunteers especially love to engage in the pediatric ward. 

The clinic works almost exclusively with donations. While the dental, eye and HIV clinic was originally sponsored, more is needed to further build different clinic. The clinic has a new pediatric ward and an isolation ward upstairs. Further stations are in planning. Patient fees are moderate, but pregnant women, children and the elderly often receive free benefits. There is also a physiotherapy ward.

It is also possible to work in a public hospital, mainly for volunteers with existing experience/qualifications. Volunteers are given a lot of responsibility, which makes the placement very valuable, but can also be a strain on their mental health. The medical standard in public hospitals in Tanzania is very low, there is a lack of basic equipment and often also a lack of sufficient qualifications among the medical staff. Whilst you can have a big impact, you can also quickly reach your limits here and should therefore carefully consider your choice beforehand. 

You may also choose to work in a large private hospital, although you should have completed at least half of your medical studies or already have a qualification. The private hospital offers a comparatively high medical standard and treats patients from all walks of life. It is particularly interesting for doctors and nurses who wish to gain an intensive insight and professional exchange with their local colleagues. 

Finally, the STEP Africa team also carries out its own community outreach, which is based on the experience and qualifications of our volunteers on site. We are very happy when medical volunteers want to support our programme and we can adapt the plan accordingly. In medical outreach, you will travel with our outreach coordinator to remote villages on a daily basis to conduct medical awareness sessions, health checks and vaccination campaigns. The target groups are primarily women and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.