Over 320m/- has been secured to support reproductive health services in and around the Lake Tanganyika region.
The relief comes amidst disconcerting reports that up to a quarter
of children born there die before they even reach five years of age.
The initiative is the brainchild of the NGO, the Lake Tanganyika
Floating Health Clinic (LTFHC) that is operating in Rukwa Region to
address the region’s high birthrate and reduce the number of preventable
deaths occurring among women and infants.
Funded by Hivos International, a development organisation focused
on women empowerment, the project will provide medically accurate
information about sexual and reproductive health to over 100,000 local
residents.
It will also afford free access to contraceptives and one-on-one counseling for hundreds of women, as well as couples.
“At the moment, contraceptive and prenatal care is non-existent in
many areas in Rukwa Region,” observed LTFHC’s Chief Programme Officer Dr
Kate McLean.
She went on to point out that since childbearing often begins in
teenage years, the lack of related reproductive health information and
resources leads to “…an exceptionally high birthrate and disturbing
number of deaths among women and children.”
“In some areas around Lake Tanganyika, up to 25 per cent of
children are dying before their fifth birthday,” she said. Notably that
is a quarter of the children born in the lake zone die before they are
five years old.
“Many women are suffering from obstetrical fistula and subsequent
social isolation and all as a result of going through obstructed labour
without medical assistance,” she said.
“Many births take place in ultra-rural areas along the lakeshore
with only traditional birth attendants present but in many cases with no
professional help at all,” Dr Kate McLean detailed.
“This programme will not only empower local women to take control
of their reproductive health and plan for pregnancy and birth, it will
save lives,” she said.
She decried the region’s inaccessibility and lack of infrastructure
which she said is a major obstacle to provision of adequate healthcare
citing impassable roads particularly in the rainy season such as this.
“The LTFHC will therefore work to establish a reliable supply chain
for consumable contraceptives and bolster lakeside health services by
training local medical workers on the provision of contraceptives and
facilitating delivery of appropriate medical supplies, including
intrauterine devices (IUDs) insertion,” Dr McLean explained.
She remained optimistic that over time, reliable access to
contraceptives and enhanced prenatal care should not only have a
sustained and positive impact on the health of the local population, but
also the region’s socio-economic standing. Dr McLean also took the
opportunity to express profound gratitude to Hivos International for its
support to the LTFHC's ongoing work to improve health outcomes for
people living in Rukwa.
Reached for comments, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
Spokesman Nsachris Mwamwaja said the ministry welcomes the initiative
and its contribution to the health sector citing that the government
encourages private sector participation in socio-economic development
issues. “The contribution of the private sector is very positive and is
much needed as well…we welcome their participation,” he said.
The Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic is an international NGO
delivering vital healthcare, medical supplies and important
communication hubs to neglected and inaccessible communities living
around the Lake Tanganyika Basin.
Hivos International is an international development organisation
with special interest in strengthening the social position of women in
developing countries and has to date helped some 19.4 million people
worldwide through its partnership programmes.
The vicinities of Lake Tanganyika are home to millions of
indigenous and displaced poor across four countries, Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and Zambia.
These populations are most easily reached by water based health care delivery, due to poor transport infrastructures.
Consequently, experts report that may die of preventable or curable
conditions like malaria, typhoid, measles, cholera, or obstructed
labour. Maternal mortality in the region remains extremely high and
large numbers of women suffer from a range of reproductive health
related conditions such as fistula.
Concerns are also raised over the region’s cultural and traditional
beliefs that more children give the family prestige and are a symbol of
wealth. These outdated beliefs remain a hurdle to acceptance of family
planning beliefs in the region.
“LTFHC staff is conversant with these issues and work directly with
local communities to address them,” LTFHC’s Alisa Macleod explained.
“Obstetric fistula is a big problem around the basin due to
early-age pregnancy and so it is worth noting that while contraceptives
can help with family planning and reduce unwanted pregnancies, they can
also significantly improve mother and infant survival rates and
wellbeing,” she summed up.SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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