Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Sunday thanked the Chinese Government for aiding his country a state-of-the-art facility for treating heart patients at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).

The Chinese government donated over 10 million U.S. dollars towards the construction of the facility which will also conduct heart surgeries.

Kikwete and Chen Changzhi, the visiting special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, inaugurated the facility at MNH which located in downtown Dar es Salaam.

Chen, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, said the facility was a present from China to Tanzania for marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Chen represented Chinese President to attend the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

Tanganyika and Zanzibar formed the United Republic of Tanzania on April 26, 1964, which was also the day that China and Tanzania established diplomatic relations.

"We will continue supporting Tanzania to make this project a success. We offered a special team of 48 specialists to work with their colleagues in Tanzania," said the Chinese envoy.

Kikwete said the facility with 98 beds and a capacity for 400 heart patients will help Tanzania to ease the burden of sending heart patients abroad for treatment, which was costly.

The Minister for Health and Social Welfare Seif Rashid said Tanzania was leading in sending heart patients to India for treatment of cardiovascular related complications.

Heart patients account for about 60 percent of all patients referred outside the country for medical care, forcing the East African country to spend millions of dollars and holding back the country's economic growth and development.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2014)