Health ministry unveils four guidelines to improve services

Mwanza. The ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children has come up with four guidelines to help improve the provision of health services in public hospitals across the country.

The ministry’s director for health services, Dr Mohamed Mohamed, said on Wednesday the guidelines will be in use with effect from next year.

He mentioned the guidelines as verification of services provided, granting of referrals, receiving and working on complaints from stakeholders and medical personnel, recommendations and advice, provision of emergency services to terminally ill-patients.

Dr Mohamed was speaking during a meeting on how to address challenges facing patients’ referral system, outreach medical treatment, provision of services for emergency patients and minimising maternal and child mortality.

The meeting took place at the Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) in Mwanza Region. Speaking during the meeting, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya, said the Lake Zone was among the areas in the country, which were hit by many maternal and child deaths caused by malaria.

“We must do whatever is within our capacity to reduce deaths of mothers and children, which are caused by maternal-related complications,” said Dr Ulisubisya

For his part, BMC director general Prof Abel Makubi said his hospital had managed to reduce the maternal mortality rate, on average, from six deaths per month last year to one death or two per month deaths this year.

On child mortality, Prof Makubi said the hospital had seen, on average, 120 to 147 deaths in a period of three months, which is equivalent to the average of 49 deaths per month.

According to Prof Makubi, BMC serves eight regions namely Mwanza, Mara, Simiyu, Sinyanga, Geita, Kagera, Tabora and Kigoma.