Mount Meru Regional Hospital in the city centre of Arusha is the main public hospital for the Mount Meru, Arusha and Lake Manyara regions. All smaller district hospitals and many private hospitals refer patients to this large hospital, which is located opposite of the Arusha International Conference Centre.

The hospital has a total bed capacity of 450 beds. It features the following departments: General medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (including mother and child pre- and post-natal care, family planning), Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, Radiology, Pathology, Mental Health, Anaesthesia, Physiotherapy, Laboratory, Intensive Care Unit, Care & Treatment Center (CTC) for HIV/AIDS patients, and pharmacy.

At the hospital’s obstetric ward it is not uncommon that there are 30 childbirths per day. There are three operating theaters: major theater, ophthalmic theater and obstetric theater.

The hospital has 25 general practitioners, one internist, one surgeon, one gynecologist, one clinical psychologist and one public health specialist, 9 medical officers and 15 assistant physicians. Furthermore, there are 66 nurses and midwives, 48 nursing officers, 3 public health nurses and 120 nursing assistants. In total the hospital employs a team of 430 staff.

Students of medicine and nursing can do an elective placement or internship at one department or they can rotate through several departments. They will be attached to a supervising physician or nurse who decides which examinations and treatments the student can carry out under their supervision, including drug administration, wound care, taking vital signs, giving vaccinations and assisting with other tasks.

Internships are also possible for student of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and midwifery.

Volunteer placements are possible for professional physicians and nurses, midwifes, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

The usual working hours are Monday to Friday from 8 am to 3:30 pm including one hour of lunch break. If you want, you can also work on Saturdays and Sundays, and you can do night shifts.

Interns/elective students/volunteers should bring their own scrubs (white, green or blue), closed shoes (color doesn’t matter). It is furthermore recommended to bring one’s own hand disinfection liquid and one’s own stethoscope. Those who want to join surgery should please bring green or blue surgery scrubs, face mask and medical hair nets.

Students of medicine, nursing or therapies as well as professional volunteers pay a weekly contribution of 50 USD.

The Mount Meru hospital can be easily reached by public transport (Daladala).