Press Release

First Lady Promotes Maternal Health at Madaba Health Centre

November 5, 2009

The First Lady of Tanzania, Mama Salma Kikwete, has visited Madaba Health Centre in Songea District, a facility assisted by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) and the EngenderHealth Acquire project.

This is part of Mama Kikwete’s tour of Ruvuma region, 4th-7th November, to assess maternal and child health services including the availability of youth friendly services. The visit supports a national campaign to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and teenage pregnancy.

The Madaba Health Centre provides a range of family planning services and serves a population of 50,000 people. Despite progress made to improve the facility, Madaba Health Centre does not have a well-equipped obstetric theatre to handle complications in delivery, resulting in mothers being referred to hospitals located more than 100 kilometers away. This results in risks to mothers due to delays and difficult transport conditions.

While at the health centre, the First Lady stressed the importance of avoiding early pregnancies for girls, improving maternal health and openly discussing and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. The maternal morality rate in Ruvuma is currently 165/100,000 live births while infant mortality is 60/1000. 6,878 teenage pregnancies were reported in Ruvuma for 2008.

To help address these challenges, the American people are working with EngenderHealth to support renovations that will help Madaba Health Centre to meet standards established by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW). In May, the project equipped the obstetric theatre and labor ward of Songea Regional Hospital with four delivery beds, two operating tables with lights, and an autoclave (sterilizing machine). Over the past year, nearly 9,000 clients in Ruvuma received long acting or permanent methods of family planning through MOHSW facilities and outreach with Acquire project support.

Over the next year, three other health facilities in Ruvuma region will benefit from renovation support. These include a labor ward situated at Bombambili Dispensary in Songea Municipal; a Reproductive and Child Health Services Unit at Namtumbo Health Centre; and a labor ward at Mbinga District Hospital. Acquire is also supported by the American people through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to provide youth-friendly services for counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS, life skills and other reproductive health services at convenient times for youth such as after schools hours and week ends.

EngenderHealth Acquire supports improved maternal health and family planning services country-wide in Tanzania with 38 health facilities last year, and 50 health facilities this year benefiting from similar renovations and equipment. The assistance also includes training of trainers and service providers in family planning, post abortion care and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.