Maternal and child health in Tanzania
Due to considerable proportion of mortality being attributed by maternal and child health, the United Nations together with other international agencies incorporated the two into Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5.
In this regard, Tanzania through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) adopted different strategies and efforts to promote safe motherhood and improve child survival.
[citation needed] Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death and disability among women of reproductive age in developing countries.
[4] The main direct causes of maternal death are haemorrhages, infections, unsafe abortions, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labours.
The slow progress in reducing maternal mortality on Mainland Tanzania is compounded by the impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
[citation needed] This indicator is directly linked to a process of giving birth by pregnant woman, and most of maternal mortality are likely to happen at this stage.
Most maternal deaths result from haemorrhage, complications of unsafe abortion, pregnancy-induced hypertension, sepsis and obstructed labour.
[12] President Jakaya Kikwete in May 2014 appealed to health workers in Tanzania to ensure that lives of women and children are not at risk during delivery.
[13] In Tanzania, two thirds of women give birth in their own homes, because there are very few health facilities within reach that can provide life-saving emergency services.
[14] Every year in Africa, at least 125,000 women and 870,000 newborns die in the first week after birth, yet this is when coverage and programmes are at their lowest along the continuum of care.
The family planning budget, including contraceptives, will draw from the $117.4 million allocated to all health commodities for the fiscal year 2020–2021.
[29] The government of Tanzania via the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has urged in 2012 that partners and stakeholders in the country to join the National Immunization Coordination Committee to ensure that all children in Tanzanian are covered.
[33] A multivariate analysis using 2010 TDHS data [33] revealed that the risk of delayed initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour after birth was significantly higher among young mothers aged <24 years, uneducated and employed mothers from rural areas who delivered by caesarean section and those who delivered at home and were assisted by traditional birth attendants or relatives.
The risk factors associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding, during the first 6 months, were lack of professional assistance at birth and residence in urban areas.
In 2011 according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates on child malnutrition in Tanzania, children aged <5 years stunted was 34.8% in 2011; underweight was 13.6% in 2011; wasted was 6.6% in 2011 and overweight was 5.5% in 2010.
[34] The case in Tanzania, is inconsistent with the common assumption that increasing agriculture and food production will automatically lead to improvements in nutrition.
[citation needed] Malnutrition remains a big health problem in Tanzania especially for children under five, leading to failure in reaching their full potential.
A lot of literature has highlighted that there is a vivid relationship between persistent malnutrition, poor breastfeeding and complimentary food with low nutrients [36] 1.
