The Mlimba Health Centre located 150km from Ifakara District, Morogoro Region has said it has recorded zero maternal deaths since January, this year to date, despite scores of pregnant women visiting the centre from the district and beyond the region, thanks to the much improved services and facilities at the centre.
Pregnant women
The Assistant Medical Officer-in charge, Stephen Mandia said that the zero death recording could be attributed to the capacity building project on improved Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care and upgrading of the health centre, which can now conduct surgical procedures on pregnant women as well as other complications.
He said that through a recent maternal care audit, the centre has established that there were no near-miss or maternal deaths for the last five months. Similar scores on maternal deaths have been recorded in another District of Ulanga.
In 2011 reduction of maternal mortality in Kigoma, Morogoro and Coast regions were 16, 37 and 29 per cent respectively.
Prof Staffan Bergstrom, head of World Lung Foundation (WLF) Maternal Health Project in Tanzania, said recently that in 2012 Morogoro health centres recorded 22 per cent reduction in maternal mortality while Coast Region attained a reduction of 25 per cent.
He said that the two project principles are a result of decentralisation of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric care, including surgery to health centres.
“Since the centre was upgraded we are now receiving over 250 pregnant women every month, from the previous 40 patients we used to handle in the past,” said the AMO, Mr Mandia.
Before that achievement, most patients from remote villages over 150 in the districts had to be referred to Saint Francis Hospital in Ifakara.
He also said that through meetings and consultations, the centre has been able to share information on its day-to-day operations with district, regional and national government authorities as well as the WLF office. It is also able to compile maternal health reports every month.
The Ifakara District Medical Officer, Dr Tom Mtoi has confirmed that the district has recorded zero maternal deaths. He said the healthcare centres have been flooded by massive patients who find it convenient to attend to maternal clinics because they are offered free of charge.
In the past there was no other choice but to attend the Saint Francis Hospital in Ifakara which was expensive and costly to them (patients) both in terms of distance and charges.
But Dr Mandia further said there was no doubt that assistant medical officers remain the sole force to reckon in handling maternal health care at Mlimba Health Centre in Ifakara and other rural areas, thanks to the government and donor support in the upgrading of rural health centres in Ifakara District.
“When the upgrading exercise began in 2008, no one could ever think of the achievements recorded today in three regions of Tanzania namely, Kigoma, Morogoro and Coast region,” he added.
In an extensive survey carried out by the ‘Sunday News’ recently in Morogoro Region, several women who had maternal health complications have testified here that the health centres upgraded by the World Lung Foundation and operated by the AMO’s who are government employees, are making a big difference in the health of pregnant women, mothers and children in saving their lives.
The health centre has trained three AMO and two nurses who are able to conduct comprehensive surgery.
Since 2008, the project has upgraded, renovated or rebuilt 12 rural health centres and five hospitals to safeguard the existence of life-saving comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC) in three regions – Kigoma, Morogoro and Coast.
Services offered include caesarean section and upgraded of the hard-to-reach health centres where there are no physicians well beyond district hospitals. During 2011 more than 21,000 deliveries had been attended to and among them about 2,400 caesarean sections had been performed in supported health facilities.
A total of 106 health workers have been trained in such courses in rural areas. The project is organised by World Lung Foundation and sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Agerup Foundation
In an interview with this paper, Ms Sarah Matumbui who had complications with her pregnancy and was brought to Mlimba Health Centre after midnight on Tuesday bleeding profusely, said that the upgrading of the said Health centres had saved her life.
“If the facility was not upgraded to have a theatre and an assistant medical officer, I would have bled to death,” she said.
She narrates her ordeal saying that: I started bleeding after midnight and was rushed to the Matema dispensary just about 7km from the health centre.
“It was a blessing that there is coordination between the dispensary and the health centre,” she said.
When the clinic officer noticed that her condition was deteriorating, he immediately called the AMO at the Mlimba Health Centre.
“The ambulance was in good condition and had fuel, so it was sent to pick me six kilometres from the centre. Imagine if the ambulance was running out of fuel or for some reason it had a breakdown, probably I would have not seen the day” she exclaimed.
Her mother, Ms Matilda Choga who had accompanied her to the hospital said that there were four people riding bicycle and others were walking on foot escorting her daughter to the dispensary.
A nurse at the centre, Ms Rita Mpola told this paper that the upgrading of the healthcare centre has also helped to change the mindset of many women and their families that pregnancy is not a disease.
She explains that given that there are surgical services available to rescue pregnant women through C-section, they have corrected their views that pregnancy is synonymous with death.
“Now women are no longer going to Ifakara for deliveries and other related treatment because it is much convenient for them to report here,” she argued.
By JAFFAR MJASIRI, Tanzania Daily News
