(June 1, 2016, Kigoma, Tanzania and New York, USA) – Vital Strategies and World Lung Foundation Tanzania (WLF)* today launched “Thamini Uhai (Value Life)”, a radio campaign aimed at increasing the number of women delivering their babies in health facilities and seeking early treatment for complications in pregnancy and labor in the Kigoma region of Tanzania. The campaign is designed to address the socio-cultural and attitudinal factors that lead to low health facility utilization. These include misconceptions about the safety of delivering at home, lack of planning to address the long distances and transportation issues that many women face in reaching health facilities, and, in some instances, concerns about poor capacity and care at health facilities. The campaign also aims to increase basic knowledge of the danger signs during pregnancy and child birth.
The campaign will be broadcast from June 1st to 31st August 2016 on a local radio station across Kigoma, Radio Kwizera, and on Clouds FM, a national radio station with a substantial number of listeners across Kigoma.
“One of the best ways to save a mother from needlessly dying in childbirth is to make sure she plans for the birth, including planning to deliver in a health facility like those upgraded by WLF and staffed with experienced health workers. It’s also essential that an expectant mother and her family understand the danger signs of complications in pregnancy and labor so they seek medical care as soon as possible,” said Dr. Nguke Mwakatundu, Country Director, Tanzania and Director of Vital Strategies’ Maternal Health Program.
“We first ran the Thamini Uhai campaign in 2014 and it had an immediate and sustained impact in increasing facility deliveries in Kigoma. However, Tanzania’s overall burden of maternal deaths remains stubbornly high. In re-broadcasting Thamini Uhai, we aim to play our part in further increasing the number of facility deliveries to reduce maternal mortality, birth complications and stillbirth in line with the targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
In a brief statement, the Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, the Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, welcomed the campaign and acknowledged the work done by WLF Tanzania: “The contribution of stakeholders like World Lung Foundation has been important and helped us as a nation in overcoming some of the challenges we face in maternal and newborn health. We have seen the good work done by WLF in the regions of Kigoma, Morogoro and Coast region which includes infrastructure development, increasing skills/knowledge especially in Emergency Obstetric Care and also in educating the public, especially women, to attend antenatal clinics and to deliver at health centers. It is my hope that WLF will continue to cooperate with the Government in order to ensure the safety of the lives and health of the women and newborns of Tanzania. On behalf of the Government and people of Tanzania, we extend our sincere thanks to WLF.”
Tanzania makes progress but the burden remains high
While Tanzania is making progress on maternal health, low utilization of health facilities is contributing to continued high numbers of maternal deaths. The UN-Interagency Maternal Mortality Estimates Group (MMEIG) recently noted the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has reduced from 410 per 100,000 live births in 2013 to 398 per 100,000 live births in 2015. However, estimates of the absolute number of maternal deaths are static at 8200 maternal deaths every year – nearly one death every single hour. Tanzania is estimated to have the fourth highest number of maternal deaths in Africa and the sixth highest in the world. Delivering at a health facility is the best way of ensuring the health of mothers and babies. This is true not only for women with high-risk pregnancies but for all women, because unanticipated complications can occur at any stage during the delivery process. Health facility utilization is low in Kigoma, where just over half of deliveries occur in facilities and the number of maternal deaths has remained high. The WLF Tanzania maternal health program is continuing to address low facility utilization through an innovative strategy that includes upgrading health centers to provide Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care, equipping the facilities, training health workers, conducting mass media communication campaigns and supporting health workers to educate communities and increase demand for health facilities.
The Thamini Uhai campaign first ran in Kigoma in 2014. Following the campaign, there was an increase in knowledge of the danger signs in pregnancy and labor, an increase in the number of women making birth plans and an increase in intention to deliver in health facilities. The campaign therefore helped to increase facility delivery in the region in 2014 and 2015. During 2015 there was a 12% increase in women with potentially life-threatening complications who received treatment at WLF-supported facilities in the Kigoma region, as well as an increase in the overall number of deliveries. Women deciding to deliver at these facilities and going to the facilities earlier in labor is helping to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.
On behalf of the Tanzanian government, Minister Ummy Mwalimu reiterated its commitment to improve maternal and neonatal health, together with development partners like WLF Tanzania: “The Government will continue to invest in maternal and newborn health. As a woman and mother, it is my duty to ensure that we bring about great changes in the availability of maternal and newborn health services. This endeavor will succeed with the cooperation of Government, society and stakeholders like WLF. I promise to give my personal and the Government’s cooperation in fulfilling their duties. It is possible to eradicate maternal death if we all play our role!”
*Note: After merging with The Union North America, World Lung Foundation commenced a global rebranding program, changing its name to Vital Strategies. To date, the Tanzania Maternal Health Program has continued to use the World Lung Foundation brand.
About the Thamini Uhai campaign
The Thamini Uhai campaign is designed to address the socio-cultural and attitudinal factors that lead to low health facility utilization. These include misconceptions about the safety of delivering at home, lack of planning to address the long distances and transportation issues that many women face in reaching health facilities, and, in some instances, concerns about poor capacity and care at health facilities. The campaign is intended to reduce deaths due to complications during childbirth by:
Increasing the likelihood that women will form an intention to deliver at a health facility;
Increasing the likelihood that women will make a birth plan with their partners and families, including planning for costs, transport and supplies; and
Increasing the likelihood that women will seek skilled care immediately in response to pregnancy danger signs.
The campaign highlights three main messages across three radio spots: one message is focused on the need for birth planning; another on the importance of delivering in a health facility; and the third on the warning signs of complications during pregnancy. Campaign evaluation found that the most effective radio ads increased risk perception, generated conversation, and modeled positive male behavior, among other variables.
About the World Lung Foundation Tanzania Maternal Health Program
Since 2008, World Lung Foundation (WLF) has been working to help reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Tanzania by implementing a state-of-the-art maternal health program. The program, which has received financial support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Fondation H&B Agerup, aims to improve women’s access to good-quality, comprehensive emergency obstetric care, particularly in rural and isolated areas. WLF can point to a number of accomplishments across geographically strategic health centers and hospitals in eight districts in the Kigoma, Morogoro and Pwani regions. Since 2008:
- WLF has actively upgraded, renovated or rebuilt 10 rural health centers and four district hospitals to ensure the provision of life-saving comprehensive emergency obstetric care. Prior to the program, patients had to travel three to four hours to the nearest hospital. Now, emergency obstetric care is available in the community.
- More than 100 assistant medical officers, nurse-midwives, and clinical officers have been trained in comprehensive emergency obstetric care or anesthesia.
- Health center utilization for delivery care has increased substantially, from about 3,500 deliveries per year in nine health centers prior to the program to about 12,300 in 2015 after WLF’s intervention.
- More than 3,500 C-sections have been performed in supported health centers that could not have provided this service prior to WLF’s maternal health program.
More information about the World Lung Foundation Tanzania Maternal Health Program can be found at https://www.worldlungfoundation.org/maternalhealth and http://worldlungfoundation.org/ht/d/sp/i/35469/pid/35469
Vital Strategies envisions a world where every person is protected by a strong public health system. Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change. Vital Strategies was formed when The Union North America and World Lung Foundation joined forces. It is an affiliate of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).
To find out more, please visit vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat
For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health expert, please contact Tracey Johnston, Vital Strategies, at +44.7889.081.170 or tjohnston@vitalstrategies.org