The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Zephania Ubwani
7 November 2007
Arusha — Maternal mortality rates in East Africa have worsened in recent years compared to 30 years ago, medical experts meeting here have declared.
In Tanzania, it is estimated that 600 out of 100,000 expectant mothers die each year in delivery.
"This was not the case some 20 or 30 years ago," said Prof Melkizedeck Leshabari from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.
He attributed the situation to deteriorating health delivery services arising from a shortage of qualified health personnel and drug supplies, population increase and increased poverty in East Africa. Prof Leshabari, the current chairman of the East African Public Health Association (EAPHA), made the remarks at the on-going joint scientific conference organised by association in collaboration with the Tanzania Public Health Association.
His remarks were echoed by the secretary general of the East African Community, Dr Juma Mwapachu who said maternal health was now worse in the East Africa than in the 1970s and 1960s despite several policy initiatives targeting reproductive health services.
He cited recent policy initiatives meant to address the problem of cutting down maternal mortality by 75 per cent between 2000 and 2015, saying he doubted if they would succeed.
"A close examination of realities in dispensaries and health centres where over 80 per cent of our rural population lives, shows that unless drastic changes are made in the way maternal health problems are approached, it is unlikely that this Millenium Development Goal would ever be achieved," he declared.
Dr Mwapachu, in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy responsible for Finance and Administration, Dr Julius Tangus Rotich, said human resources, rather than funding, was now the major obstacle to health development in the region.
"The principal obstacle in all spheres of health development is limited human capacity. This situation renders country-level efforts in harnessing the resources to address sub-regional problems largely ineffective," he stated.
Without giving figures, the EAC top official said the number of medical and health experts graduating from universities in EAC member states were inadequate, while their distribution has been uneven.
He challenged training institutions in the region to re-examine the criteria used for deciding the number of potential health care workers admitted "and the extent at which our graduates are equipped with leadership knowledge and skills to perform their jobs."
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