RESIDENTS of Misungwi District have commended remarkable improvement in service delivery at the district hospital, which guarantees them access to quality healthcare.
The improvement of service delivery at the hospital has been contributed by availability of experts, especially for mother and child healthcare.
This was revealed during the recent tour of the US-based Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Ms Molly Sims, to see health projects being supported by Jhpiego.
Among the projects are the US Agency for International Development’s Afya Yangu-Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health, which aims to increase the use of quality, integrated health services, particularly for women and youth.
Mostly, a five-year project (2022-2027) offers training to health service providers in various departments, with expectant mothers commending the efforts, affirming that they are no longer referred to Bugando Zonal Hospital.
“The situation becomes worse when those with complicated maternal cases experience labour pains at night, but nobody is there to help them,” said an expectant mother, Ms Edna John.
Breastfeeding mothers also expressed their gratitude, following availability of experts for nutrition, in an effort to fight malnutrition in children under five.
Mothers have been educated on how to prepare balanced meals, by themselves at home, for the wellbeing of their children.
The Hospital’s Acting In-charge, Ms Chausiku Katunzi, said the experts have helped to provide timely services at the hospital.
Jhpiego Tanzania Country Director, Ms Alice Christensen, explained that Ms Sims was in Misungwi to visit health programmes that support Tanzania’s goals of reducing maternal and newborn deaths.
In support of the goals, she added, Jhpiego was working to strengthen the capacity of health care workers to manage critical situations among mothers, newborns and children and support a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth.
“Vital to those efforts is USAID’s support to health systems in identifying other causes of maternal and newborn deaths and procuring equipment critical to addressing those issues.
Ms Sims will also visit communities that prioritize youth, friendly services and use innovative peer to peer counselling and outreach to empower and educate girls so they can understand and seek appropriate health services.
Ms Sims said “As a mother, I understand the important role women play in the health of their children. Healthy Mothers mean healthy families today and in the future.
Health care workers are as critical to the quality of health care services families want and need to thrive”.
