We (Tanzania) need to reduce maternal deaths
Inavyoelekea, vita ya Tanzania dhidi ya vifo vitokanavyo na ujauzito bado ni kitendawili kigumu sana kukitengua. Mimi nadhani, tatizo halipo tu katika kulaumu huduma duni ya afya, japo inachangia kwa kiasi kikubwa, tatizo la msingi ni pamoja na elimu duni aliyonayo mwananchi wa kawaida kiasi kwamba kumpa mafunzo juu ya kuzingatia kanuni kuu za msingi za afya inakuwa vigumu. Haelewi sababu za kuzingatia masuala hayo. Ni vigumu kumfanya mtu azingatie jambo asilokuwa na ufahamu nao.
Elimu maridhawa ya darasani ni daraja mojawapo mahsusi sana katika kusaidia uelewa na uchambuzi wa masuala mbalimbali duniani, vinginevyo, ni kuburuzana kusikokuwa na faida yoyote na kuzuliana chuki na hasira zisizo na maana. Takwimu zilizoripotiwa na shirika la World Population Day na kuandikwa katika tovuti ya AllAfrica zinasema,
Elimu maridhawa ya darasani ni daraja mojawapo mahsusi sana katika kusaidia uelewa na uchambuzi wa masuala mbalimbali duniani, vinginevyo, ni kuburuzana kusikokuwa na faida yoyote na kuzuliana chuki na hasira zisizo na maana. Takwimu zilizoripotiwa na shirika la World Population Day na kuandikwa katika tovuti ya AllAfrica zinasema,
The prospects of Tanzania attaining the Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality by 75 per cent by 2015 are slim. If the figures released Friday on the World Population Day are anything to go by, then there is a lot of work to be done on maternal health.
It is estimated that in some parts of the country, at least 252 women die each year from pregnancy-related complications in Shinyanga Region alone. Sadly, nearly half of the deaths are reportedly caused by excessive bleeding, which could be easily prevented if we had properly-trained nurses and doctors.
Our health system is overwhelmed by the increasing population, which does not match the number of practising and competent nurses and doctors. This is a huge challenge for the Government.Safe motherhood is universally accepted by all governments. It should ensure that all women receive the care they need to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
This calls for comprehensive strategies and interventions, including having the right personnel and adequate equipment in our hospitals, to prevent the death or illness of a pregnant woman. Maternal mortality cannot be reduced unless an enabling health environment is created that puts the women's interest first. It is important for the Government to recommit to funding to improve maternal health.
Newest Posts
Older Posts
Home
2 feedback :
We need not only a comprehensive approaches but holistic and tailored strategic interventions.The current interventions are putchy,non realistic,worse enough,they are addressing the tributaries of the core problem leaving the baseline causes of maternal mortality unattended.They are not synergistic,they both work independently without any additive effects.
For example! is it important to put more resources targeting at institutional causes like unqualified health personels,inadequate drugs and medical supplies.Yes! it is important,but it is imperatively important to ensure that these interventions goes hand in hand with communities-based interventions,interventions to addresing non institutional factors which are many and playing major roles in directly causing the majority of pregnancy related death.
We really need to start looking at simple things first. What exactly causes a woman not to go to the health care facility in time? Why are they hesitating to have their delivery by skilled birth attendants? What are the underlying social- behavioral factors preventing them from going to the health care facilities for deliveries or going at the late stage where nothing can be done to save the life of the mother and/or her precious baby.
Tracing those who die at the health care facilities,majority of them not only arrive late but also lack moral and physical support at home.The desicion to go to health care facilities earlier is the only thing they are supposed to do to save the mother and their babies life. Normal delivery do not need OBG,neither does it need sophiscated procedures.Indeed,we can use less resources to create big impacts by proportionally tackling the commnunities-based causes of maternal deaths.
Last but not least,we still need more efforts at the grass-root level, at the ground level, the primary level in order to appropriatelly combat the current pervasive and intriguing escallating number of maternal and infants death
Dr Ponsiano
(Social & Behavioral science specialist in PH, Health program management specilist-Mch, MD)
Dr. Ponsiano, I couldn't add more to your words. You being in this field, you have a better understanding of what is happening and how it should be done. It's really up to them (leaders, decision makers and politicians) to take note of these brilliant ideas and implement them if at all, they set to work and want to help Mwananchi. They young aspiring and wanna be politician who read blogs have everything under their disposal. What more could they ask for?
Thanks for reading and commenting. I really appreciate it.