Dar es Salaam. Pregnant women in Tanzania can now access epidural labour analgesia, a pain-management procedure that can significantly reduce the pain of contractions while allowing normal labour to continue.
The service is already available at several hospitals, including Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH), where specialists say it can help women remain comfortable while contractions and other stages of labour continue normally.
Speaking to this paper on Monday, September 7, 2026, BMH specialist anaesthetist Dr Wilson Lugano said the procedure blocks pain signals from the uterus to the brain without stopping labour.
A small catheter is inserted into the epidural space in the lower back, near the nerves that carry pain signals. A controlled amount of medication is then administered continuously through the catheter until delivery. “What we do is block communication of pain between the brain and the area experiencing it. Labour continues, but the pain is stopped,” he said.
Dr Lugano said the mother and baby are closely monitored throughout the procedure, including the baby’s heart rate, the mother’s condition and uterine contractions.
“The contractions continue and the baby descends as in normal labour. What is stopped is the pain,” he said.
The procedure does not prevent a woman from undergoing a Caesarean section if a medical reason arises. The epidural can also be adjusted to provide pain relief during surgery.
BMH charges Sh1.6 million for the epidural service, excluding other hospital costs. Dr Lugano said the cost partly reflects the need for continuous monitoring by specialists.
The service is optional for women who would otherwise be able to deliver normally but want pain relief.
Dr Lugano said epidural analgesia has been used globally for decades and serious complications are rare. Possible side effects include a drop in blood pressure, although he said no serious complications had been recorded among patients treated at BMH so far.
A woman from Ilazo, Dodoma, whose identity was withheld, said she used the service while delivering her third child after experiencing normal labour pain with her first two children.
“I was able to give birth without feeling the pain. Throughout the time I was receiving the service, I felt no pain,” she said.
She said the procedure allowed her to remain calm and communicate with medical staff during delivery. Dr Lugano said epidural analgesia does not interfere with the natural process of childbirth, but only targets pain, allowing contractions and the baby’s descent to continue.
