President Jakaya Kikwete has instructed Dar es Salaam regional authorities to build a modern hospital that would exclusively offer maternal and child health services.
This, to say the least, is a noble idea though it comes rather belatedly.
Maternity wards in conventional hospitals in Dar es Salaam are such a pathetic sight.
Mwananyamala Hospital, for example, has only 18 beds in its maternity ward but, incredibly, it shelters up to 80 women in labour.
Dar es Salaam hospitals, which also happen to be deplorably short of medical workers including, paediatricians, gynaecologists, birth attendants and nurses, are almost always overcrowded by patients, including pregnant women. They are also short of drugs.
Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that the region has whittled down the maternal mortality from 135 per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 99 last year. The new rate has dropped below the national ratio which stands at 454 to 1,000. Despite this marginal success, it would be remiss on our part not to impress on regional authorities on the dire condition of expectant women in hospitals.
Most women sleep on the cold, hard floors with, invariably, no ready help from nurses when critical need arises. The few beds in the maternity wards host two to three expectant mothers. This bleak situation does not only worsen the health condition of pregnant women - it also puts the nation to shame. Tanzania has enough resources and capacity to protect pregnant women.
It is imperative to point out here that with any pregnancy there is a possibility that something may go wrong. Pregnancy complications cannot be predicted -- with the first delivery being the most dangerous. This explains why most new mothers are referred to reputable hospitals such as Muhimbili National Hospital.
So, since dangerous problems can arise without warning during pregnancy or childbirth all families need to know the location of the nearest hospital. In some deplorable cases, pregnant women are conveyed to health clinics or hospitals when it is too late.
In rural Tanzania families move pregnant women on donkey back or by bicycle often after the water break exposing the woman to extreme stress and pain. Families also need to know about the risk factors and be able to recognize the warning signs of possible problems. Such signs are numerous -- often varying from woman to woman. Families should help the State to save the lives of pregnant women.