Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre
PO Box 3010, Moshi, Tanzania,East Africa.

Phone Contact:
+255 27 2754377-2754383

Fax:
+255 27 2754381/2752038

Email:
kcmcadmin@kcmc.ac.tz

Webmaster:
joshua@kcmc.ac.tz

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GETTING STARTED IN KCMC AND MOSHI

GETTING ABOUT KCMC We are shortly producing a simple map of KCMC and the Compound to go in this page but it is not quite ready yet .. Sorry. The Compound is approximately 400 metres from the main hospital building, and is a 15 minute easy and safe walk, but it can be both very muddy and very hot depending on the season of the year. If you drive from the Compound to KCMC go in the gate by the Dermatology Training Centre and park opposite the Library and Bookshop. The KCMC site is sprawling and can seem confusing at first. Although it is nominally an English-speaking hospital, most of the signs are in Swahili. Do make sure that someone shows you the way the first time, as the easiest pedestrian entrance to the hospital is through the back of the main building, past various hostels and schools. (Beware the fact that when you enter from the rear you are on the basement level.) The main Administration Office is on the ground floor and this may be a good place to start if you need direction. KCMC has a good medical library which is situated in the same building as the main Lecture Hall. It is open Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 10.00 pm and on Saturday from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm.

COMMUNICATIONS A new Communication Centre has just recently opened next to the KCMC Canteen. For a small fee you will be able to make contact all over the world by telephone, fax and e-mail. Please request your family and friends not to send attachments or photographs unless absolutely necessary because transmission is slow and expensive, and can jeopardise the connection with the server. International calls are expensive. International cellular network phones work here, success being dependent upon where you stand to make/receive your call. Secretarial services and Internet connections are also available at the Communication Centre.

There will be a working internal telephone in your accommodation, which connects to the KCMC main switchboard, by dialling 0. There should be in internal telephone directory in your house, with some useful numbers highlighted. You cannot dial outside KCMC on this system, but the operator may be able to connect to a number for you. The telephone number at KCMC is +255 27 2754377/80. The switchboard can receive incoming calls and transfer them to the extension telephone in your house. However, it is sometimes difficult to get through to KCMC and telephone is not as reliable as e-mail. Letters should be addressed to you personally marked "Foreign Medical Student" (or other appropriate title) and addressed to KCMC Private Bag, Moshi, Tanzania. You will find your incoming mail in the Administration Dept. at KCMC, where you may also post outgoing letters. Post goes out once a day about 10 am and arrives at about lunchtime.

CHURCH SERVICES You will be made most welcome at any Church Service either at KCMC or elsewhere in Tanzania, even if you do not understand the language. KCMC has its own Lutheran Chapel, which was built in 1998. You will find the building near the main entrance to the hospital. Staff prayers in Kishawili are held each weekday morning at 7.30am. On Sundays there is an English service in the Chapel at 8.00 am, followed by a Swahili service at 10.00 am. There are also Catholic Services held at KCMC. During the week these services are held on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 5.30 pm in the Small Assembly Hall on the ground floor of the hospital. On Sundays an English service is held at 7.30 am and a Swahili service held at 10:30 am in the main Lecture Hall. There are many other Christian churches in Moshi, including Anglican and Pentecostal, as well as meeting places of other faiths. Do please ask if you would like to know more.

GETTING ABOUT MOSHI The compound is about 5 kilometres from Moshi town centre. You should find a copy of the Moshi Guide in your house. If you do not have the use of a car, you can get to town by walking to the bus stop at the front gates of the hospital. The buses (minibuses) are known as "dalla dallas". Be warned that they are always overcrowded and give a hair-raising ride, but they are cheap (150/- each way) and are part of the "Tanzania experience". Taxis are also available at the bus stop and cost about 1,500/- into Moshi Town. Cars can be hired from Laka Tours and Car Hire, whose office is in the Communication Centre near the KCMC Canteen. You are advised for your own safety not to walk alone around Moshi at night. This is as more because of the potholes than the security risk.

CHANGING MONEY You can change travellers cheques and foreign currency into Tanzanian shillings either at a bank (which close at 3pm) or at a bureau de change (which stay open until about 5.30pm). Credit cards are rarely accepted, and there are NO cash machines at all.

SHOPPING The town of Moshi is quite large and contains shops and businesses which should cater for all your daily needs. The prices will usually be somewhat lower than you are used to and the choice will be more restricted. Fruit and vegetables can be bought from roadside vendors, for a very reasonable price. You may need to try out your Swahili if you use them! Good frozen meat and fish are available in the better shops. You don't have to go into town to find basic foods and fresh fruit - all are available near to the compound at Uptown Grocery, or in the roads just below the main hospital gate. Tanzanians are without exception friendly and helpful, so don't be afraid !

FOOD AND REFRESHMENT You will normally be expected to provide your own food during your stay, which you can buy and prepare yourself, or you may prefer to eat in a restaurant. There is a staff canteen, which offers good food at very reasonable prices most of the day. It is situated near the main gate by the Dermatology Training Centre and is open from 5.30 am to 7.30 pm, so you can even have your breakfast there if you like. The cost of a main course is approximately 1,200/- and snacks and drinks are available at all times. Bottled mineral water is available here and at all restaurants and shops. Towards the Compound you will find The Doctors Club, which serves simple but good meals from approximately 9am to 10pm each day. The cost of a main course is approximately 1,500/. You may just like to stop there for a cold soda or beer on your way home. There are several good restaurants in Moshi, and you will find recommendations from other visitors at the back of this folder.

HEALTH INFORMATION First of all, don't worry if you feel very tired during the first week or two of your stay. This is normal and is a result of the altitude of Moshi, 900 metres, as well as the climate. Something like a tummy upset is not uncommon but is probably no more of a problem than a tummy upset anywhere else in the world. It is a good idea to avoid wayside food stalls, and to wash all fresh food carefully. Do please take your malaria prophylactics during your stay (and when you return home). If you have a serious health problem during your stay, please contact the Head of Internal Medicine Department on the first floor of the Hospital.

LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS The standard language of Tanzania is Swahili. Learning a few key phrases will benefit you, as English is not always spoken, particularly outside KCMC. Be prepared to bargain if you go to markets - there is a tourist price which is usually several times as much as for locals. Dress is informal but modest. Shorts are fairly unacceptable in public places (except in tourist areas), as are vests/tops that show the shoulders and or midriff. Skirts and dresses should be knee length or below. Jeans and trousers for women are acceptable. We recommend light-weight cotton clothing.

TRAVELLING OUTSIDE KCMC It is advisable to take with you a bottle of water, a sun hat and sun block, and insect repellant when you plan to spend any time away from KCMC. There are many tour operators in Moshi, some very good and some not so reliable. Kilele Afrika will be ready to give you information about Safari information or mountain climbing, http://www.kileleafrika.com, If possible, ask someone who has lived in Moshi for a long time to recommend a reliable company. Do please try and meet Tanzanians and find out how they live. They are always welcoming and willing to talk to you. There are one or two tour operators (including the Cultural Tourism Programme) who will arrange visits to village projects and other local places of interest.

MORE INFORMATION Do please ask for help if there is something you need to know - you will find everyone very willing to assist you.

• Department of Opthalmology

• Department of Pathology

• Department of Clinical Laboratory

• Department of Radiology

• Dental Department

• Medical Elective Information

• Medical Record Department

• Masters in Public Health

• School of Anaesthesia

Other links to KCMC

• Training Centre for Orthapaedic Technologists (TATCOT)

• Regional Dermatology Training Centre (RDTC)

• Friends of KCMC

    Last modified: August 2010. (Hans)

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Home URL: http://www.kcmc.ac.tz