WITH A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH, KIKWETE JETS BACK HOME...

Regular health check-up and tests are crucial to detect problems early, when chances for treatment and cure are better, President Jakaya Kikwete said on Saturday.

President Jakaya Kikwete is received by Mama Maria Nyerere upon his arrival at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam . The president was in the US for medical treatment.

He said this upon arrival from the US where he had undergone successful medical treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and underscored the need to promote the culture of regular medical examination.

Mr Kikwete noted that the habit would enable treatment of ailments previously thought incurable once diagnosed early enough. He thanked all Tanzanians for praying for him and commended the media for conveying the right message away from distortion.

“In September, last year, I went for medical checkup and doctors diagnosed me with prostate cancer. They told me that since it was still at a manageable level, an operation could remove it completely and stop it from spreading to other parts of the body. “Before going for the operation, I wanted to ‘put the house’ in order.

You never know with operations, despite the fact that the technology is highly advanced,” he said. The president hinted that he wanted to have the second draft constitution completed which was handed over to him in December, last year.

He then had to wait for the Constituent Assembly (CA) to finish its session in Dodoma that also did not end within the specified 70 days. However, doctors warned him that he should not delay.

“Although I looked normal and continued with my duties, the illness remained a source of ‘inward misery.’ It took eight months to inform my wife but she is great and encouraged me to undergo treatment. I am glad am cancer free.

“I took courage to comply with the doctors’ advice. I am no longer worrisome because at first I was worried how serious the illness will be in case of further delay.

Doctors said that after such an operation a patient could survive for 30 years depending on one’s age,” he said. President Kikwete explained that since the 1990s when he served as the minister for energy and minerals, he cultivated the culture of undergoing regular medical check-up. He passionately appealed to ‘wananchi’ to emulate that way of life.

With regard to the heated debate in the National Assembly about the Escrow account saga, the president rightly said he couldn’t comment since he wasn’t well-versed with what transpired in the House, but would talk about it in due time.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are the founding institutions of modern American medicine.

Many medical specialties were formed at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, including neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, paediatrics and child psychiatry, among others. The Johns Hopkins Hospital is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest hospitals.

By BILHAM KIMATI