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Doctor in plea for better maternal health services
2008-03-19 09:23:38
By Patrick Kisembo
Arusha Rural District Council medical officer Dr Fransis Mwanisi has admitted that maternal health care services were still very poor and had remained a major problem in the district for years.
He said this when briefing European Community Ambassador Tim Clark, who visited Marie Stopes Tanzania (MST) outreach clinic at Nduruma village in Arusha District Council over the weekend.
Mwanisi said despite efforts made to improve reproductive and child health services in the district the severity of the problem remained the same.
Dr. Mwanisi, who represented the district executive director, told the European Community`s delegation that health facilities delivery was very low compared to home deliveries.
``This has been aggravated by traditional customs in the district such that it has been difficult to reduce the number of early marriages for girls and gender inequality,`` said the DMO.
Dr Mwanisi said his new district (formally part of Arumeru) was also facing problems of polygamous families, especially in pastoralist families.
He said more that 85 per cent of women delivered at home and family planning methods were in use at a very low level, rated at 9 per cent only.
He told the delegates that maternal mortality rate was at 303/100,000, half the national average which was 579/100,000, and infant mortality rate stood at 88/1000 compared to the national average which was 68/1000 live births in 2007.
He said deliveries at Nduruma Health Centre were 26 while home deliveries were 211 in 2007.
Dr.Mwanisi thanked the MST and the EU for community mobilisation, HIV and FP service delivery in the district.
``We are sure of offering support to MST and other partners so that sexual reproductive health problems are addressed adequately,`` the DMO said.
Ambassador Tim Clark said women in the country were still being undermined due to some traditional beliefs favouring men, leaving women to suffer.
He urged Nduruma men to dedicate one day in a week to helping women in domestic chores and let their wives rest.
``I suggest Saturday to be an ideal day for you women to rest. Saturday is your day to dress and leave your work at home to be done by your husbands,`` he said.
Clark said: ``We will have to change the way we do business, we should think the way we can help more women than men.``
The envoy asked the community to contribute more in finalizing the health centre building that would assist them.
Zawadi Athanase, MST project manager for the sexual reproductive health project, said the purpose of the EU delegation's visit to Nduruma and other centres was to inspect community projects that are being funded by the EC and implemented by MST.
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