Spotlight on EECC at the 13th MUHAS Scientific Conference
Two of the founders of EECC Global and four expert collaborators took to the stage this week at the prestigious 13th Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) Scientific Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The event, held on June 18th–19th 2025, brought together leading researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and public health professionals to explore the theme: “Reorganizing Health Systems in Africa: Prioritizing Innovation and Research for Evolving Global Health Challenges.”
Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) was high on the agenda—highlighted in a powerful keynote presentation and a series of evidence-based talks that showcased its growing role in saving lives across Tanzania and beyond.
Putting Critical Illness Front and Centre
In their keynote address, EECC Global co-founders Associate Professor Tim Baker and Dr Karima Khalid gave a compelling presentation titled “Responding to the realities of critical illness in Africa: Prioritizing the essentials for resilient health systems.”
They shared evidence about the huge burden of critical illness in low- and middle-income countries, where many people die from conditions that could be treated with basic but life-saving care. They highlighted recent work including the Oxygen Commission, ACIOS, and HBCIGS studies, all pointing to one recurring theme: too often, the essentials are missing.
They showed how EECC provides a solution—focusing on simple, low-cost interventions such as checking vital signs, providing oxygen therapy, and giving intravenous fluids. These are not high-tech solutions, but they save lives. The speakers also gave an overview of implementation work already underway in Tanzania, and how EECC is making an impact globally. They ended with a call to action—inviting all participants to join the EECC network and be part of the movement.
Dr Karima Khalid during the keynote
Ground-Level Insights from Tanzania
Several other speakers expanded on the real-world experience of implementing EECC in Tanzania.
Dr Aneth Kaliza presented findings from Zanzibar and five regions in mainland Tanzania. Her talk, “What Tanzania’s Primary Health Care facilities have revealed about foundational life-saving emergency and critical care,” shed light on the current state of emergency care up to the district level. The research provides a clearer picture of what’s needed to expand EECC coverage effectively.
Dr Sabra Hussein followed with a talk on “A collaborative intervention to increase coverage of foundational life-saving emergency and critical care in Tanzania.” Drawing from the EECCiT project, she outlined practical steps for successful implementation:
Training healthcare workers
Supporting leaders and managers
Introducing user-friendly tools to support EECC provision
Designating focal persons in facilities
Sharing local knowledge
Providing essential equipment and supplies
This multi-faceted approach ensures that EECC doesn’t just stay on paper—but becomes part of everyday care in hospitals and clinics.
Training, Tools and Teamwork
Training is a cornerstone of EECC. Dr Anna Hvarfner presented “Building capacity for foundational care of critically ill patients – The EECC Training Course.” She explained how the in-person course helps healthcare workers quickly recognise and respond to critical illness using proven methods that are both practical and affordable. The course covers:
Monitoring vital signs
Managing airways and breathing
Restoring circulation
Responding to unconsciousness
Infection control and other essential care including effective communication and team work
The training is freely available at www.eeccglobal.org/training and has already been rolled out in several countries.
Dr Rafael Shayo rounded out the session with an innovative presentation on perioperative care titled “Implementation of the ‘5Rs to Rescue’ program in Tanzanian Hospitals.” The model helps hospital teams act early and effectively when patients begin to deteriorate. The five steps—Risk Assessment, Recognize, Respond, Reassess, and Reflect—offer a simple framework to improve outcomes for patients who need urgent care before or after surgery.
From the left: Dr Anna Hvafner, Dr Aneth Kaliza, Dr Rafael Shayo,Dr Sabra Hussein and Dr Karima Khalid
A Shared Vision for Health System Strengthening
Together, these presentations demonstrated how EECC is more than a theory—it’s a practical, scalable approach that’s already driving real change. The message was clear: if we are serious about reorganizing health systems and building resilience, we must start with the basics. And those basics are exactly what EECC delivers.
With growing interest and evidence, and thanks to collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and policymakers, EECC is gaining ground as a cornerstone of care for the critically ill. The MUHAS conference showed just how far we’ve come—and how much more is possible.