Source: Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
As Tanzania joins the rest of the international community to mark World Prematurity Day today, an estimated 210,000 babies in the country are born too soon each year.
A report released by Save the Children shows that over one third of Tanzania's nearly 40,000 annual newborn deaths are due to complications of prematurity. The report indicates that 114,000 premature baby boys were born in 2012 compared to 97,000 premature baby girls.
The report finds that baby boys are at a higher risk of death and disability due to preterm birth than baby girls. Commenting on the report, the Country Director of Save the Children, Dr Steve Thorne said close attention is required to save vulnerable children and mothers.
"According to experts, simple improvements in health care could help many premature babies survive," he said. Dr Thorne mentioned special drugs given to mothers in preterm labour and the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) initiative are low-cost interventions that are very effective, but are not widely used in high burden countries such as Tanzania.
He said that more than 75 per cent of babies born too soon in the country could be saved without intensive care. According to the report, Tanzania ranks 12 th worldwide and fourth in Africa in the number of babies born prematurely.
Meanwhile, Save the Children in Tanzania today marks its fifth year since it implemented the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for premature babies.
Between 2008 and 2013 Save the Children in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, trained frontline health workers in delivery rooms, postnatal and pediatric wards on KMC, rolling out the services by establishing sites in all regional hospitals, supplying neonatal resuscitation equipment, developing and disseminating counseling materials aimed at mothers with preterm babies and monitoring services against performance standards.
"Through the collaboration, 27 sites across Tanzania were established, 973 nurses and doctors were trained and a further 1,185 health workers of different cadres were oriented on KMC saving over 6,000 babies' lives," noted Dr Thorne.
He said that involvement of families was vital since they are the importance champions both in health facilities and back in the community.
Dr Throne said that KMC graduates continue to raise awareness, encouraging men to proactively participate in caring for babies born prematurely and of new mothers.