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`Despite govt efforts, maternal mortality rate still alarming`
2008-03-24 10:22:54
By Correspondent Austin Beyadi
The joint external evaluation of health sector in the country has revealed that maternal mortality rate remains at alarming levels despite the government`s efforts to address the problem.
Speaking during the launch of the External Evaluation of the Health Sector in Dar es Salaam mid last week, the Irish Aid representative to Tanzania, Colleen Wright, said despite the government`s efforts more women were dying from pregnancy complications.
She said that after every hour, a woman in the country died from pregnancy related complications many of which could be prevented.
``We welcome the evaluation recommendation that reducing maternal mortality be developed as a new key strategy in the next health sector strategic plan in order to give it the required focus of attention,`` said Wright.
She said that Tanzania had made significant progress towards achieving the goals in reducing infant and child mortality and some progress in aspects of child malnutrition.
Wright however, said that despite the fact that no measurable progress were made in reducing maternal mortality or improving maternal health, there was also little progress in reducing neonatal mortality.
She however said that continued efforts should be made to raise the quality of care through standardisation and closer monitoring, including the formulation and introduction of a comprehensive package of essential health interventions.
She said that considerable challenges remained key obstacles in provision of and access to health services which included long distances to health facilities, inadequate and unaffordable transport systems and continuous limited quality care.
She said that the single most worrying aspect of the health system was the deterioration in personnel in the public sector as well as the non-profit private sector which suffered massive drainage of skilled personnel that disproportionably impacted on rural health services.
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