WHO calls for supportive policies
The caution is published in the 2015 WHO’s MDG Countdown Report which says the goal can only be achieved if supportive policies are put in place.
Commenting in an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the weekend, World Lung Foundation (WLF) Deputy Clinical Director, Dr Sunday Dominico said the Tanzanian government and other stakeholders must put more efforts to curb the problem as the deadline draws closer.
He said with half of all births in Tanzania occurring outside health facilities and being performed by non-skilled birth attendants, expectant women and children under five remain in grave danger.
“Poor maternal health has significantly negative impact on the family and society, because it is a major determinant of the health of children and indirectly affects the formation of human capital,” he explained.
According to Dr Dominico for there to be any tangible progress towards the MDG 5 then there is need for much more involvement of local communities backed by executives and policy makers prioritising maternal and child health.
“This way, health funding and investment will be increased and that is a vital element to achieving this goal,” he said.
He said with increased resource allocation there would be increased institutional delivery in rural communities.
“This would in turn improve delivery skills of attendants who are at the frontline in the fight to reduce maternal and child health,” he noted.
However, he lamented that there still is a major lack of commitment on health investment by the government and other stakeholders underlining that these inadequacies doom Tanzanian women to unsafe deliveries away from health facilities and attended to by untrained personnel.
Seconding the view, WLF Project Director, Dr Nguke Mwakatundu, said commitment to the cause by the government must be in terms setting out a sufficient budget for the health sector.
“Doing so would enable the related ministry and agencies to implement the much needed life saving projects efficiently and successfully,” he said.
He emphasized that it is only through this serious investment from the government, in collaboration with other stakeholders, that any significant achievements can be made.
“This area of maternal and child health needs a lot more interventions to solve the many challenges it faces and that is only truly achievable through increased resource allocation,” he insisted.
Dr Mwakatundu said with time running out ahead of the set deadline next year to achieve the goal it is high time that the government exhibits much more commitment.
The interview with the two health specialists was held on the sidelines of a three-day training session on maternal and child health for journalists.
The main objective of the training for over 20 journalists from Dar es Salaam, Coastal and Morogoro regions was to empower them with basic knowledge, altitude and skills on issues and topics related to maternal health.
The training is envisioned to better journalists’ ability to conduct search, write and transmit news on related topics.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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