Dar es Salaam. Naibu Waziri Mkuu na Waziri wa Nishati, Dk Doto Biteko ameipongeza taasisi ya CRDB Bank Foundation kwa kuendelea kuandaa mbio za CRDB Bank Marathon ambazo zimejielekeza kusaidia jitihada za Serikali kuboresha sekta ya afya, kusaidia wenye uhitaji pamoja na kukuza ustawi wa jamii.
Dk Biteko ametoa pongezi hizo wakati wa kilele cha msimu wa tano wa CRDB Bank Marathon ambazo zimekusanya Sh350 milioni kwa ajili ya kusaidia watoto wenye uhitaji wa upasuaji wa moyo katika Taasisi ya Jakaya Kikwete (JKCI), huduma za afya kwa wakinamama wenye ujauzito hatarishi Hospitali ya CCBRT na uwezeshaji wa vijana.
“Niwapongeze kwa kuendelea kusaidia matibabu ya kinamama na watoto wetu. Kinamama ndio wamebeba uchumi wa Taifa letu, pia ndio waangalizi wa familia zetu hususan watoto,” amesema.
Amesema ukiimarisha afya ya mama na mtoto umeimarisha afya ya Taifa.
Akizungumzia mbio hizo, Waziri wa Utamaduni, Sanaa na Michezo, Dk Damas Ndumbaro amesema imesaidia kuchochea ari ya michezo nchini.
Amesema zimekuwa jukwaa muhimu kwa wanariadha nchini kuonyesha vipaji vyao katika jukwaa la kimataifa, kwani mbio hizo zimesajiliwa kimataifa na Shirikisho la Upimaji Mbio Kimataifa (AIMS) na Shirikisho la Riadha Duniani (World Athletic).
Awali, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa CRDB, Abdulmajid Nsekela amesema katika fedha kilichokusanywa, Sh100 milioni zitasaidia watoto wenye uhitaji wa upasuaji wa moyo JKCI.
Amesema kitita kingine kama hicho kitasaidia huduma za afya kwa kinamama wenye ujauzito hatarishi waliopo Hospitali ya CCBRT na Sh150 milioni zitasaidia uwezeshwaji kwa vijana.
Mwenyekiti wa Bodi ya CRDB Bank Foundation, Martin Warioba amesema mbio hizo zimeshirikisha wanamichezo zaidi ya 8,000.
Amesema washindi wamezawadiwa Sh98.7 milioni katika mbio za kilomita 42, 21, 10 na kilomita 5, pamoja na wa mbio za baiskeli za kilomita 65.
Amesema lengo lao mwakani ni kupata washiriki 10,000 wa Tanzania, huku malengo ya washiriki wa Burundi na Jamhuri ya kidemokrasia ya Congo (DRC) yakiwa ni 3,000 kila nchi.
Katika mbio hizo, Joyloyce Kemuma alishinda kwa wanawake wakati kwa wanaume, Moses Nengichi alishinda wote kutoka Kenya.
Katika mbio ya Kilomita 21 upande wa wanawake ni Sara Ramadhan na Joseph Panga wote Watanzania.
Kwenye kilomita 10, Hamida Nasoro wa aliibuka mshindi na kwa upande wa wanaume, Mao Hindo Ako alishinda ambapo wote ni Watanzania.
Kwenye mbio za baiskeli, Paul Lumoria alishinda na kufuatiwa na Richard Laizer na Joseph Thuku ambapo kwa upande wa wanawake mshindi alikuwa Jamila Abdallah na kufuatiwa na Monica Jelimo na Julia Miringu.
Source: mwananchi.co.tz
Share this news
This Year's Most Read News Stories
Britam half-year net profit hits Sh2bn on higher investment income
Insurer and financial services provider Britam posted a 22.5 percent jump in net earnings for the half-year ended June 2024, to Sh2 billion, buoyed by increased investment income.
The rise in half-year net profit from Sh1.64 billion posted in a similar period last year came on the back of net investment income rising 2.5 times to Sh13.27 billion from Sh5.3 billion.
“We are confident in the growth and performance trend that Britam has achieved, supported by its subsidiaries in Kenya and the region. Our business is expanding its revenue base while effectively managing costs,” Britam Chief Executive Officer Tom Gitogo said.
“Our customer-centric approach is fueling growth in our customer base and product uptake, particularly through micro-insurance, partnerships, and digital channels.”
The investment income growth was fueled by interest and dividend income rising 34 percent to Sh9.1 billion, which the insurer attributed to growth in revenue and the gains from the realignment of the group’s investment portfolio.
Britam also booked a Sh3.79 billion gain on financial assets at a fair value, compared with a Sh1.8 billion loss posted in a similar period last year.
The increased investment income helped offset the 12.7 percent decline in net insurance service result to Sh2.13 billion in the wake of claims paid out rising at a faster pace than that of premiums received.
Britam said insurance revenue, which is money from written premiums, increased to Sh17.8 billion from Sh16.6 billion, primarily driven by growth in the Kenya insurance business and regional general insurance businesses, which contributed 30 percent of the revenue.
The group has a presence in seven countries in Africa namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Britam’s insurance service expense hit Sh13.6 billion from Sh11.3 billion, while net insurance finance expenses rose 2.6 times to Sh12.3 billion during the same period.
“Net insurance finance expenses increased mainly due to growth in interest cost for the deposit administration business driven by better investment performance. This has also been impacted by a decline in the yield curve, which has led to an increase in the insurance contract liabilities. The increase has been offset by a matching increase in fair value gain on assets,” said Britam.
Britam’s growth in profit is in line with that of other Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed insurers, which have seen a rise in profits.
Jubilee Holdings net profit in the six months increased by 22.7 percent to Sh2.5 billion on increased income from insurance, helping the insurer maintain Sh2 per share interim dividend.
CIC Insurance Group posted a 0.64 percent rise in net profit to Sh709.99 million in the same period as net earnings of Liberty Kenya nearly tripled to Sh632 million from Sh213 million, while Sanlam Kenya emerged from a loss to post a Sh282.2 million net profit.
‘Sovereignty alone won’t solve Zanzibar economic woes’
The ruling party in Zanzibar on Monday , March 13, responded to growing demands for full autonomy in the Islands, saying sovereignty doesn’t guarantee economic strength.Continue Reading
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
