Dodoma. Kutokana na mvua kubwa zinazoendelea kunyesha nchini kuharibu miundombinu ya barabara na eneo la uhifadhi kwenye hifadhi ya Taifa ya Serengeti, Serikali ya Tanzania kwa kushirikiana na Mamlaka za hifadhi za Taifa (Tanapa) linaandaa andiko la kuomba kukarabati barabara hizo kwa kiwango cha zege na lami.
Hayo yamesemwa leo Jumapili Machi 10, 2024 na Msemaji Mkuu wa Serikali, Mobhare Matinyi alipozungumza na waandishi wa habari jijini Dodoma kuhusiana na hifadhi ya Taifa ya Serengeti.
Amesema sababu za kuomba kibali kutoka Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Elimu, Sayansi na Utamaduni (Unesco) ni kwamba hifadhi za Taifa katika nchi mbalimbali duniani huwa zinapata hadhi maalumu ya kuorodheshwa kwenye urithi wa dunia ambayo inasimamiwa na Unesco.
Amesema kuna kamati inayosimamia hifadhi hizo ambazo zinatunzwa kwa pamoja kati ya Unesco na nchi mwenyeji, kuna kanuni za msingi za uhifadhi ambazo zinapaswa kufuatwa na Unesco huwa inasaidia kitaalamu au msaada wa kifedha, ili kuhakikisha hifadhi hizo zinatunzwa.
“Kwa hiyo, inapotakiwa kufanyika mambo ya msingi kama miundombinu ikiwemo ujenzi wa hoteli au barabara kunakuwa na mashauriano, ili kuhakikisha urithi ule wa dunia unabaki na sifa zilezile ambazo zilisababisha ukakubalika kuwa katika orodha ya urithi wa dunia,” amesema.
Msemaji Mkuu wa Serikali, Mobhare Matinyi akizungumza na waandishi wa habari (hawapo pichani) kuhusu ukarabati wa miundombinu ya barabara kwenye hifadhi ya Taifa ya Serengeti
Matinyi amesema kutokana na uharibifu uliotokea kwenye hifadhi hiyo kwenye miundombinu ya barabara na eneo la uhifadhi kutokana na mvua za El Nino zilizoanza Oktoba 2023, Tanapa imeandaa andiko la kuomba ukarabati wa barabara hizo kwa kutumia tabaka gumu, ili kuzidumu kwa muda mrefu.
Amesema barabara zilizopo ndani ya hifadhi hiyo zilijengwa kwa kutumia udongo na changarawe na zimetumika kwa zaidi ya miaka 65 sasa, hivyo wanataka kukarabati kwa kutumia tabaka gumu la zege au lami.
Amesema udongo wa eneo la hifadhi ya Serengeti ni dhaifu, kwani unatokana na volcano iliyolipuka miaka mingi nyuma, hivyo ukipata maji kidogo unaharibika, huku changarawe zilizotumika kujenga barabara hizo huko nyuma kwa sasa hazipatikani.
“Njia ya kutumia andiko la kitaalamu ndiyo iliyotumiwa na mamlaka ya hifadhi ya eneo la Ngorongoro ambayo sasa imepata kibali cha kujenga barabara yenye tabaka gumu ambayo inaingia kwenye hifadhi ya Serengeti kwa kuzingatia kuwa vivutio hivi viwili maarufu duniani vinapakana.”
Amesema kuna barabara kuu nne zenye changamoto zaidi kutokana na upitaji wa magari makubwa ya abiria na mizigo yanayokwenda mikoa jirani ya Mara, Arusha Manyara, Mwanza, Shinyanga na Simiyu ambayo imezunguka hifadhi ya Serengeti na kwamba barabara hizo ndizo zinazoingiza watalii kwa wingi.
Amesema barabara hizo hupitisha wastani wa magari 600 hadi 800 kwa siku kwa ajili ya kusafirisha watalii na hivyo kuharibu miundombinu yake hata kama hakuna mvua kubwa na zina urefu wa kilomita 291 ambayo ni asilimia tisa ya urefu wa barabara zote zenye urefu wa kilomita 3,176 za mtandao wa barabara ndani ya hifadhi hiyo.
Msemaji huyo wa Serikali amesema wameamua kuomba kibali hicho cha kuweka tabaka gumu kwenye barabara hizo kwa sababu matengenezo ya mara kwa mara yanaigharibu Serikali fedha nyingi tofauti na kuweka tabaka gumu kama ilivyo kwenye barabara za hifadhi ya Masai Mara nchini Kenya na Kulga ya nchini Afrika Kusini.
Amesema changamoto nyingine ni uhaba wa maji kwenye hifadhi hiyo ambayo hutumika kukarabati barabara zilizojengwa kwa udongo na changarawe kwa kutumia maji ya visima ambayo kwa sasa hayapatikani kwa wingi kama ilivyokuwa zamani, hivyo wanashindwa kuzikarabati kwa kutumia maji ya mito ambayo ni kwa ajili ya wanyama tu.
“Tanapa inatarajia kwamba utatuzi wa kudumu utapatikana katika barabara kuu hizi zinazoihudumia Serengeti na hivyo kuongeza idadi ya watalii nchini kwa kiasi kikubwa kutokana na matunda ya filamu ya Royal Tour na kutoa mchango mkubwa katika pato la jumla la utalii ambalo nalo linachangia katika pato la jumla la nchi yetu,” amesema.
Amesema Serengeti ni hifadhi ya Taifa ambayo inaliingizia Taifa fedha nyingi kwa kuwa watalii wengi hupenda kutembelea hifadhi hiyo kwa ajili ya kujionea wanyama wakubwa duniani na uhamaji wa wanyama aina ya nyumbu kwenda nchini Kenya na kwamba imechukua tuzo ya hifadhi bora Afrika kwa miaka mitano mfululizo.
Amesema hifadhi hiyo imeingiza watalii 1,451,176 kwa miezi minane pekee kutoka ndani na nje ya nchi kwa kipindi cha kuanzia Julai 2023 hadi Februari 2024 kwa mwaka wa fedha 2023/2024 ambapo lengo lilikuwa ni kufikisha watalii 1,387,987, hivyo imevuka lengo hilo kwa kipindi cha miezi minane pekee.
Source: mwananchi.co.tz
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Inside Tanzania’s Life-Saving Birthcare Model
Tanzania is winning the battle against maternal and newborn deaths, as the latest numbers reveal a significant decline.
“Tanzania is committed to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and ensuring safe deliveries as part of the national development plan. The Safer Births Bundle of Care is one of the key strategies supporting this effort,” said Dr. Benjamin Kamala, the Senior Research Scientist at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Principal Investigator for the program, leading its implementation across five regions in Tanzania.
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the innovative health program in Tanzania – centered on regular, on-the-job training for healthcare workers – reduced maternal deaths by 75% and early newborn deaths by 40%. The three-year study, conducted across 30 high-burden healthcare facilities in Tanzania, tracked approximately 300,000 mother-baby pairs under the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme. The programme focuses on improving care for mothers and babies during the day of birth, the critical time when a woman goes into labor and delivers her baby.
Maternal health is a key focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Tanzania’s program combines continuous, simulation-based training for frontline healthcare workers alongside innovative clinical tools to improve labour monitoring (fetal heart rate monitoring) and newborn resuscitation.It also uses data to drive ongoing improvements, ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills, confidence, and competence to manage birth-related complications for both mothers and newborns.
“We work closely with healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary tools to improve the quality of care, ensuring they can effectively manage both mothers and babies during and after childbirth,” Dr. Kamala said, which helps them build on over a decade of innovative research and collaboration to improve care during childbirth.
“To give you a sense of the scale of the burden of maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania when the Safer Births Bundles of Care program was in early development in 2015/16, there were around 556 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 25 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,” he said.
The published study demonstrates the “transformative impact” of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program conducted across 30 hospitals in five high-burden regions of Tanzania, where there were about 300,000 mother-baby pairs.
Maternal deaths at the start of the program were recorded at 240 per 100,000 live births, with postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders being the leading causes of death, he said. Over the 24-month study period, this number dropped to approximately 60 per 100,000 live births, representing a 75% reduction. The number of newborn deaths – which are primarily due to breathing difficulties and complications related to prematurity – declined by 40% – from 7 deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“These results are remarkable,” Dr. Kamala said.
According to Dr. Kamala, the 75% reduction in maternal deaths was not expected, and a key lesson was the important role of the in-situ team simulations – including for postpartum bleeding – with reflective debriefings that trained facilitators led.
“This seems to be a major part of the success of the program,” he said. “We are delighted by these results and hope that other countries adopt and scale the Safer Births Bundle of Care program… Beyond the numbers, the Safer Births Bundle of Care program has fostered a dramatic culture shift in our healthcare system,” he said. “Healthcare workers are now more confident and better equipped to handle birth-related complications for both mothers and babies.”
Maternal death drop
Dr. Kamala attributed the 60-70% reduction in newborn deaths in Geita and Manyara to several factors.
“Firstly, Manyara was the first site for implementation, giving the region more time to adapt and experience the impact of the program. Most importantly, both regions had a high burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, making them ideal targets for focused intervention. As a result, newborn deaths decreased by 60-70%, showcasing a clear positive impact on newborn survival,” he said.
Dr. Kamala said another possible explanation is the differences in the culture of practices, where some health facilities reported inaccurate data due to the fear of blame and shame. However, with the project’s implementation, reporting became more accurate after mplementation. Some regions, such as Tabora, reported an increase in the number of referrals to the study hospitals from other care centers after the program was implemented. These were more likely to be late admissions, which increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, he said.
After the implementation of the program, there was a 40% decrease in newborn deaths within the first 24 hours after birth, according to the study.
Dr. Kamala said Tanzania’s remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality by 80% is driven by strategic investments and innovative programs focused on improving maternal and child survival rates.
“Over 2,000 new healthcare facilities have been developed, free health services are being provided to expectant mothers and children under the age of five, and emergency obstetric care – including better transport to hospitals in rural areas are helping to ensure timely, life-saving interventions.
“Most importantly, the Ministry of Health works in collaboration with healthcare workers, hospitals, and development partners to strengthen the skills of frontline healthcare workers, which has been a key factor in driving this progress.
“Political leadership, alongside strategic partnerships and financing, has been crucial in driving progress in maternal and newborn health,” he said.
The program was made possible by the support of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Norad, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, as well as the Ministry of Health and Haydom Lutheran Hospital. Their partnership and investment enabled the scaling of the Safer Births Bundle of Care to 30 hospitals and supported the research. “The government has now scaled the program to over 150 sites, and there are plans for further expansion to three regions this year and then nationally,” he said.
Dr. Kamala outlined key policy recommendations for other governments can adopt to prioritize maternal health.
“Firstly, it focuses on cost-effective and relatively simple interventions that are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths. For example, stronger primary healthcare that is delivered in the community and a well-trained healthcare workforce are also critical. Additionally, working in close collaboration with national, regional, and local health authorities is key.”
He said Tanzania’s approach, where the Safer Births Bundle of Care program was successfully scaled and sustained by aligning the initiative with national guidelines for obstetrical and newborn care. In addition, the creation of mentorship programs and regular supervision has helped to sustain the results.
Looking ahead
Tanzania now plans to expand to three new regions in 2025, followed by a nationwide rollout.
The success of the program has attracted interest from other countries, with Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Namibia expressing interest in adapting the program to their healthcare system. In Nigeria, the program has already been launched in two states, Gombe and Borno, marking a significant step in its scaling.
Source: allafrica.com
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