The new Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr. Seif Shekalaghe, who has been appointed today, previously worked at Ifakara Health Institute as a Senior Research Scientist from November 2010 to June 2016 before joining public service.

During his slightly over 5 year-stint at Ifakara, Dr. Shekalaghe was involved in various research projects and managed to contribute immensely to knowledge – through over 70 peer reviewed scientific publications – with the vast majority of these on malaria.

His Ifakara research work have earned the newly appointed Health permanent secretary a total of 2350 citations and 15665 reads, according to data retrieved from the ResearchGate platform this week. He was based at the Institute's Bagamoyo Branch in Coast Region.

Just last year, Dr. Shekalaghe visited the Temeke Regional Referral Hospital in Temeke Municipality, Dar es Salaam Region, to inspect progress made by the NEST360 program in improving the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) there.

The program is implemented in Tanzania by Ifakara Health Institute and partners at selected referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Mbeya and Kilimanjaro regions. The NICU was built with funds from NEST360.

During the tour, Dr. Shekalaghe witnessed various activities, including the medical equipment installed and used in the neonatal ward. He was accompanied by the NEST360 team members led by the NEST360 Country Director in Tanzania, Catherine Paul.

>> More photos of the visit: https://ifakarahealthinstitute.smugmug.com/NETS-Event-Temeke-Hospital/