Over the past 20 years Tweega Medica has facilitated the following deployments:

• Jeanine Heeren (Endulen en Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Lennard and Claar Hiltermann (Wasso Hospital, Tanzania)
• Dirk and Meedy Luijtze (Kibara en Sumve Hospital, Tanzania)
• Carin Hoek (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Mira van Veenendaal (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Christian and Mariska van Rij (Wasso Hospital, Tanzania)
• Tom and Mimosa Dieleman (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Uwe and Gina Duebbelde (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Yadira and Lars de Groot (Endulen Hospital, Tanzania)
• Erika and Wander Kars (Ndala Hospital, Tanzania)
• Cees and Ilona Rustenhoven (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Rob and Danielle Mooij (Ndala Hospital, Tanzania)
• Theresa Harbauer (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Floor Peters and Kasper Broek (Endulen Hospital)
• Mayke Franssen and Jonas Rosenstok (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Yvonne van Oirsouw and Pim van Leeuwen (Shirati Hospital, Tanzania)
• René Vreuls (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Agnes de Boer and Ronald Oosterhuis (Turiani Hospital, Tanzania)
• Hilde van Susante (Sengerema Hospital, Tanzania)
• Anne de Lepper and Chris van der Star (Entasekera HC, Kenia en Kalongo Hospital, Oeganda)
• Xander Pijnappel (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Rian Jager (Sengerema Hospital, Tanzania)
• Anneloes Eleveld (Haydom Hospital, Tanzania)
• Annet and Suwendy Hofland (Mangochi District Hospital, Malawi)
• Bente van der Meijden and Lennard Blom (Mangochi District Hospital, Malawi)
• Marieke Dekker and Marco van Zwetselaar (KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania)
• Arie and Lisanne Glas (Mulanje Mission Hospital, Malawi)
• Grace Bambe and Ogendo Simon (Kabanga Hospital, Tanzania
• Arne Béguin and Dorothee van Breevoort (Mangochi District Hospital, Malawi)
• Nathan Beijneveld (Shirati Hospital, Tanzania)
• Sieuwke Hartmans (Endulen Hospital, Tanzania)
• Kasper Nobel and Marloes Frijters (Kabanga Hospital, Tanzania)
• Maud Bekedam and Kees van Driel (Shirati Hospital, Tanzania)
• Arno Maas and Sandra Reijnen (Mangochi District Hospital, Malawi)
• Anne Hillebrand (Kabanga Hospital, Tanzania)
• Thomas and Andrea (Mulanje Mission Hospital, Malawi)
• Anne de Boer and Maran Fazzi (Endulen Hospital, Tanzania)
• Suzanne Boeree and Willem Koops (Kabanga Hospital, Tanzania)
• Jan Rademaker and Victoria von Salmuth (Shirati Hospital, Tanzania)
• Sofieke Hofman and Arjen Zijderveld (Mangochi District Hospital, Malawi)
• Lukas van Doorn and Melissa Boere (Shirati Hospital, Tanzania)

Our doctors work mostly in direct patient care, thus making a clear difference for the patients. In some cases, statistics gathered by the hospitals where our doctors work suffice to show the impact of their good work. For example, in one of these hospitals, the amount of deliveries increased by 16% en the amount of fatal complications decreased by 32 %.

Besides direct patient care, our doctors are also involved in structural improvements in their respective hospitals. Some examples of projects supervised by them include:

• Providing two hospitals previously unconnected to electricity with electricity from solar panel fields
• Founding two clinics voor treatment of HIV/Aids patients
• Providing safe-motherhood care with possible hospital admission
• Starting a longevous program for treatment of babies suffering from hydrocephalus
• Purchasing a diverse range of medical equipment, such as laboratory devices, ultrasound imaging, pulseoxymeters and blood pressure monitors
• Structural support in management, resulting in improvement of organisation in several hospitals and once even revealing a big case of fraud

Our mission

Stichting Tweega Medica deploys doctors specialised in global health and tropical medicine to rural hospitals in eastern Africa, where there is a chronic lack of health care capacity and medical knowledge. In this manner, support is given to the implementation of good health care for those in most dire need of health care.

Our vision

Good-quality health care forms the fundamental basis of development, fruition and livelihood of the very poorest.

Our essential values

• Focus on quality and education
• Empathy for those without access to proper health care
• No replacement, but amelioration
• Equal partnership with local organisations and authorities
• Adaptation to local values, traditions and practices

Explanation

In remote areas of Africa, poverty exists on a large scale. For many, travelling to the bigger cities and visiting an adequate hopsital is a near impossible feat, especially for emergencies. Hospitals in remote areas are few and far between, and they are often limited in their capacity due to a constant and structural lack of facilities. Most prominently is a lack of adquate, well-educated personell. In both Tanzania and Malawi, there are 2 doctors per 100.000 inhabitants (comparativley, this number is 310 in the Netherlands). Of this much smaller group of doctors, many also prefer working in citites over working on the countryside or other rural places. Tweega Medica supports the improvement of care by deploying specialised doctors (both specialists on global health and tropical medicine as well as other medical specialists) to hospitals where they can make a lasting difference in the quality of care. Not only by being an extra pair of hands during their stay, but also by sharing their knowlegde with the local staff.

Our policy is focused on making good health care accessible for the very poorest people living in rural areas of eastern Africa. Through concrete application and transfer of knowledge and medical skills we aim to help both directly and indirectly. The goal is long-term improvement of health care, continuing after the end of deployment of our doctors. We endeavour to be a trustworthy partner to the hospitals we work with by providing continuous support for at least two years – ensuring a strong basis for further development.

Specific goals 2025

• To continue and supervise current deployments
• To consider new possible deployments to Malawi and Tanzania
• To find suitable fundraising for the aforementioned goals
• To further expand one of our pillars: improvement of mother and child care
• To explore potential future partners through conversations
• To expand our network and knowledge
• To approach other organisations and investigate possible cooperation, in the spirit of ‘joining forces’
• To improve communication to (potential) donors and intensify usage of social media to reach a broader community

Lennard Hiltermann worked as a tropical doctor in Wasso Hospital in Tanzania alongside his wife from 2005 to 2007. Aside from everyday patient care, many projects were launched: among other things, internet via satellite and a clinic for the treatment of hiv/aids were realised. Lennard has been chairman of Tweega Medica since 2022. He organised several clinics for further training in Tanzania and Malawi for other medical specialist and general practitioners. Lennard currently works as a general practitioner in Twente.

Christian van Rij was also deployed to Wasso Hospital with his wife from 2007 to 2010. During his time there, he was soon asked to be hospital director. This position enabled him to bring a lot of positive changes to the hospital. For example, establishsing an educational programme, building an hiv/aids clinic and upgrading a dependance dispensary to the level of a health centre. Christian was chairman of Tweega Medica for ten years. At the moment he is a general member of the board of directors and works as a general practitioner in Gelderland.

Cees Rustenhoven was deployed at Haydom Hospital together with his wife Ilona for a period of two years. While Ilona worked in the hospital itself, Cees made use of his economic background to support the management of the hospital. He greatly improved financial control and advised the HR-policy. As of now, Cees works as an independent entrepreneur, advising other organisations who wish to invest in Africa. He is member of the board of directors since 2012, as treasurer.

Floor Peters was deployed to Endulen Hospital with her husband. There, they were involved in the building and development of a Maternity Waiting Home and the further launch of the Safe Motherhood Project. Apart from this, there were multiple project in the village and the Maasai community, including the construction of a sports field in the village. Within the board of directors, Floor does most of the correspondence, administration and PR. Floor works as a general practitioner in Drenthe.

Jonas Rosenstok joined the boards of management in 2016 after a deployment of three years to Haydom Hospital alongside his wife. Jonas was a member of the board of directors of the hospital, while his wife worked as a doctor. His expertise within our team is directional knowledge and his own experience with donor projects. He currently works as an independent entrepreneur with emphasis and attention on societal health.

Barbara Swarthout-ten Kate worked as a general practitioner and tropical doctor in Malawi from 2015-2021. During this time, she founded a general medicine clinic in Blantyre. Apart from this, she also worked as a teacher and contributed to fundraising for the only GP training programme in Malawi: the Family Medicine Department of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. Barbara now works as a general practitioner in Amsterdam.

Dorothee van Breevoort has worked in Mangochi, Malawi, from 2020 to 2024 with her husband, on behalf of Tweega Medica. They were affiliated with Kamuzu University of Health Science and involved with the Family Medicine Department in Mangochi Hospital, where doctors are trained into specialists with emphasis on rural or remote hospitals. With a background in International Health and research, Dorothee is active in public health, project management and research. She currently works as senior project manager at Pharos.

Besides the daily board of management, a board of advisors helps the board with strategic decision-making if necessary. The board of advisors consists of the following people:

• Ms Dr. Clara Houben-van Karnebeek – Pediatrician and founder of Tweega Medica
• Mr Roderick Houben – Owner Health2Media and founder of Tweega Medica
• Drs. Ms Lara Schreuders – Urologist, member of board of management of Tweega Medica for 15 years
• Ms Ariane Fentener van Vlissingen – Founder Special Bite
• Dr. Steven van de Vijver – Tropical doctor/specialist global health and tropical medicine, general practitioner, master in Public Health, PhD
• Marian Zuure – Tropical doctor/specialist global health and tropical medicine, specialist elderly care medicine