How e-platform will save lives of mothers

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday launched a system dubbed “M-Mama” that uses a mobile platform to connect pregnant women in rural areas to emergency transport in an effort to reduce maternal deaths.

Funded by Vodacom Tanzania in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the platform was introduced as a pilot in Shinyanga and Sengerema in 2017 where it helped a total of 12,000 mothers and children and reduced deaths caused by lack of emergency transport.

Speaking during the launch in Dodoma yesterday, President Hassan said the platform was complimenting a 2017 government campaign known as “Jiongeze Tuwavushe Salama” which focused on a similar issue of reducing maternal deaths.

“The comfort I have today is to see this system we are launching today has gone to pilot and has produced positive results to save the lives of pregnant women and their babies, but also I heard processes are underway under the cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Vodacom to design a system that will track drugs from the manufacturer to the end users,” she said.

The Heald of State said after the official launch the service would now be rolled out in 14 regions under Vodacom funding. Ms Hassan added that in Africa there were challenges and shortcomings in the health sector which are related to quality of availability of services and to manage so dealing with it there is a need for public private partnership like what has been done by Vodacom.

However, to support what has been done by the telco, Ms Hassan said the government has bought 233 ordinary ambulances that are expected to be deployed across Tanzania while another 25 with referral status are also expected to arrive.

In his remarks Vodacom Tanzania managing director Sitholizwe Mdlalose said: “The pilot phase of the M-Mama programme, we managed to serve almost 10,500 women and 2,300 new-borns. We registered 200 drivers and gave entrepreneurial training to 100 in the Sengerema District in Mwanza and Shinyanga. Childbirth is a joyous occasion as per many African traditions. It is a cause for celebration. No woman should have to give up her life to bring in the next generation. We can do better,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Health minister Ummy Mwalimu said pregnant women who deliver in health centers have reached 84 percent after improving the health sector.

“We expect to receive $200 million from the World Bank to ensure the M-Mama system spreads to the remaining regions and Zanzibar.”

Ms Mwalimu said the ministry in collaboration with National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in October this year will launch results of a Health Demographic Survey that shows maternal deaths declined to around 5,000 cases from 11,000 cases that were recorded in 2015-2016.

Information, Communications and Informational Technology minister Nape Nnauye said Vodacom introduced a system that helps women to get information. This is due to investment in ICT. There are a large number of innovations which have been created in the country. “In short the ministry will strengthen the national broadband network so that the M-mama can reach in many areas.”