The southern African nation has one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates, at 489 deaths per 100,00 live births (compared to seven deaths per 100,000 live births in Canada), and in places such as Nampula province in the country's north, it's not uncommon for women to die simply because they can't get to the hospital in time to deliver their babies.
While experts in many countries such as Canada are cautioning against the rising caesarean (C-section) delivery rate, increasing the rate of caesarean delivery remains a priority in Africa.
Makala ya Wanawake na Maendeleo, safari hii inaangazia kikundi cha wanawake kiitwacho IMCHA mkoani Iringa. Je juhudi zao katika kuboresha maisha ya wanawake ni zipi? Na zimepiga hatua kwa kiwango gani? Kwa mengi zaidi, ungana na Anuary Mkama.
In Tanzania’s rural Rorya region, approximately 40% of women aren’t in the care of medical staff at hospitals or clinics when they deliver their babies. Instead they give birth at home, sometimes with a traditional birth attendant.
The region has the one of the lowest facility birth rates in the country. As a result, women die unnecessarily every year from treatable complications such as bleeding after delivery.
Tanzania’s government would like more than 80% of births to be overseen by skilled health care providers. Evidence shows that delivering in a health facility with a skilled birth attendant with access to medications, supplies and surgery as needed reduces deaths of both mothers and their infants.
Tanzania has limited resources for rural districts. It has very few skilled birth attendants and a shortage of medical supplies.
We did a study to understand what was preventing women from getting health care during pregnancy and childbirth. Our research was conducted in a way that allowed participants to discuss both the problem and solutions that are most meaningful to them.
By TOM CHIAHEMEN, Abuja.
A stakeholders meeting on how to move maternal new-born and child health evidence into policy in West Africa is under way in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Organized by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and IDRC of Canda, the three-day event, under the theme: “Nigeria Maternal Newborn and Child Health Research Days,” was formally declared open by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr, Osagie Ehanire.
The aim is to enhance the reduction of maternal and child mortality rate, through the development of more efficient, equitable and sustainable policies, strategies, implementation plans, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and better functioning systems, according to WAHO and FMOH officials.
The first two days which witnessed the opening session, technical sessions, group discussions and panel sessions, attracted about 90 participants made up of Key stakeholders in Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) like policy makers, researchers, CSOs and NGOs. Director-General of WAHO, Prof Stanley Okolo, Director of Family Health department FMOH Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi, former governor of Ondo State His Excellency, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and the senior specialist representative of IDRC from Canada Dr Nafi Diop were also in attendance.
In Summary However, Dr Dismas Matovelo, a maternal health specialist based in Mwanza Region, believes among other reasons, “the power of communities hasn’t been fully exploited in improving maternal health.”
To mark World Health Day, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Global Affairs Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are announcing nine new research grants for Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa.
This $4.5 million commitment is the result of a call for proposals from the 19 implementation research teams under this partnership. The new grants will allow nine of these teams to scale up promising interventions and address the need for family-planning education, support for adolescent mothers, and sexual and reproductive health services and information. These grants complement the partnership’s existing investments in African and Canadian research teams to address the root causes of high maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
