A local NGO, Doris Mollel Foundation (DMF) has launched a countrywide
initiative to rise 280m/- to help ongoing efforts to address
premature births, the leading cause of death for newborns and the
second leading cause of death for children under 5 in Tanzania.
Each year, around 213,000 babies are born prematurely and over 9,000 of them die from complications related to preterm birth.
“This is almost a quarter of the approximately 40,000 newborn
babies dying every year in the country,” warned the founder of DMF,
Doris Mollel at a fund raising ceremony held yesterday in Dar es Salaam.
She said the raised funds will serve to procure some 80 Oxygen
Concentrators to help balance body temperature and oxygen for
prematurely born babies.
“We expect to distribute 10 of these devises in each division
across the country,” the founder detailed noting that so far, the
organisation has managed to get five machines.
“There is no reason for preterm babies to lose their lives,” she
emphasised and went on to urge both public and private actors to join
hands to protect the lives of innocent babies who are at high risks.
“We want the kids to live and for this to happen, they have to be given special attention,” she added.
In her comments, Director of Reproductive and Child Health Services
in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Neema Rusimbamayila
acknowledged that the problem has reached alarming levels.
“48 per cent of children below the age of five die as a result of
prematurity,” she said citing that the ministry recorded 68,000 children
deaths last year alone. 45,000 of them died before delivery and others
died soon after delivery.
“We have a serious problem which needs collaborative approach to address,” she underscored.
In this regard, already the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) has
established the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) a special ward dedicated to
preterm children.
Former presidential candidate Anna Mgwira who is the National
Chairperson for ACT—Wazalendo said it’s high time the government adopts
and implements policy frameworks to better address the matter.
“The newly formed government should work on the possible mechanism
to ensure natural resources in the country are fully utilized to address
health and other social challenges,” she said.
In his contribution, the Kinondoni Municipal District Commissioner
Paul Makonda donated 1m/- to support the initiative urging the general
public to contribute to the initiative to save lives of children under
5years.
Delivering a testimony, Regema Hamis (25) who just delivered last
September said reproductive health education among the youth is vital if
the problem is to be addressed.
She advised youth in the country and especially girls not to
involve in unsafe sex recounting her own ordeal that saw her husband
abandon her after delivering a preterm baby.
“I gave birth to a premature boy, my husband dumped me as a result
but my family has been supportive and my child is progressing well,” she
said.SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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