AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government trained about 1,480,900 women in the Mainland Tanzania on maternal health skills during the 2019/2020 financial year, in efforts to reduce maternal and new born deaths, parliament was told on Wednesday.
In a written response, the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, said the government continues to provide training through different means, including providing leaflets, advertisements on posters, as well as via television programmes.
The ministry was responding to a question posed by Special Seats MP Sabreena Sungura (CHADEMA), who sought to know when the government would accomplish its programme of providing education on maternal health.
“Through this training, the number of expectant women delivering at various health centres increased to 83per cent as of March 2020, compared to 64per cent during the corresponding period in 2015/16,’’ the ministry noted.
The government stated further that the target was to ensure that every woman attaining delivery age was given training on maternal health by the end of 2020.
“This particular education will make sure that all pregnant women attend clinics immediately after they get pregnancies, and that they deliver at health facilities so that they are attended by professional midwives, instead of relying on traditional midwives,” noted the ministry’s response.
The ministry also underscored the need for all girls and women in the 15-to-49 conception category to receive education on maternal health, emergence services on pregnancy complications, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), effects of drug abuse as well as HIV/AIDS.
