More health centres set to curb mothers, child deaths

FATMA ABDU

Minister of Health, Community, Development, Gender and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu

THE government is planning to build emergency surgical rooms at all health centres in the country to reduce maternal and child deaths in the country.

The Minister of Health, Community, Development, Gender and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, made the remarks in Dar es Salaam yesterday during discussion with various stakeholders on the recommendations for the largest conference on the health, rights and well-being of girls and women to be held on 16- 19, May in Denmark.
Those who participated in the discussion were Health system and management (MST), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Embassy of Denmark in Tanzania, Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA), Tanzania Commission for Aids (TACAIDS), Marie Stopes Tanzania, Femina Hip and the Ministry of Health, Community, Development, Gender and Children.
“The Ministry is expected to build emergency surgical rooms nearby all health centres in the country to reduce maternal mortality as 24 per cent of women die everyday due to reproduction,” Ms Mwalimu said, adding the government in collaboration with NGOs will ensure women and girls in the country are protected.
Ms Mwalimu said that education to girls is very important because the number of female in higher learning institutions is only 37 per cent.
Ms Mwalimu reported that the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender and Children has made progress in putting sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment high on the development agenda.
She said women and girls were still struggling to claim these services and rights. “More efforts are needed to implement laws and policies, change negative attitudes, mind sets, child marriage and teenage pregnancy and promote women’s sexual reproductive health, rights and economic empowerment,” she said.
The minister added that the government, in collaborations with various stakeholders, tried to put more efforts especially in health reproductive in order to reduce maternal mortality and child deaths in the country.
The Ambassador of Denmark in Tanzania, Mr Einar Jensen, said the focus of the conference will be on how to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development specific on women and girls health particularly in maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality.
“For the world to experience progress, we need to give girls and women the equal opportunities to which they are entitled. But this requires that they are healthy and have the necessary capability to do so. This will benefit society as a whole