Govt to produce anaesthesia experts to avert maternal mortality in the country

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Heath Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya speak at a past event.

What you need to know:

  • This follows statistics availed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Heath Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya on Monday, which indicated that Tanzania has only 24 (5.4 per cent) anaesthesiologists with a Bachelor’s Degree in anaesthesia. According to him, the number was too small compared to the demand of the services in the country.

Dar es Salaam. The government plans to produce skilled anaesthesiologists to promote the best practice in the fields of anaesthesia in the country in a fresh bid to avert maternal mortality among Tanzanian women.

This follows statistics availed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Heath Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya on Monday, which indicated that Tanzania has only 24 (5.4 per cent) anaesthesiologists with a Bachelor’s Degree in anaesthesia. According to him, the number was too small compared to the demand of the services in the country.

Addressing the delegates at the 4th Society of Anaesthesiologists of Tanzania (SATA)’s scientific conference and annual general meeting whose theme focused on averting maternal mortality among Tanzanian women, Dr Ulisubisya said there was a need to generate enough experts who will be capable to save lives of rural Tanzanian women who at large don’t have access to the related services in their respective living areas

According to Dr Ulisubisya, 556 in every 100, 000 Tanzanian women die per year due to unsafe deliveries, saying the best practice in the fields of anaesthesia would help to reduce the number of deaths among Tanzanian women in the country.

“The government is now implementing its strategy to ensure every ward has one modern health facility. The task which is ahead now is to have experts who can work in these facilities and help in supervising several issues related to healthcare provision among Tanzanians,” he noted.