DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania is stepping up specialised newborn care in a move that aligns the country with global efforts to reduce preventable infant deaths and improve maternal health outcomes.
President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan has pledged full government backing for a partnership with Keep a Child Alive (KCA), an international non-governmental organisation, to construct 27 modern neonatal wards across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
The agreement, reached during talks at State House in Dar es Salaam with a delegation led by KCA Chief Executive Officer Antonio Ruiz-Giménez Jr, signals a strategic shift toward targeted investment in specialised newborn care — an area the World Health Organization has identified as critical in reducing global neonatal mortality.
Over the past decade, Tanzania has made measurable progress in maternal and child health. Government data show maternal mortality fell from 556 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016 to 104 in 2022. Under-five mortality declined by 36 per cent, from 67 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Yet neonatal mortality, particularly among premature infants, remains a significant challenge, reflecting a broader trend across sub-Saharan Africa where newborn complications account for a large share of child deaths.
President Samia said the government would allocate land, ensure coordination and integrate the new facilities into the national health system to guarantee long-term sustainability, a key lesson drawn from global health projects that struggled due to limited domestic integration.
Tanzania’s President Samia leads AU health agenda for maternal and child welfare
The initiative, implemented with the Doris Mollel Foundation, will focus on four pillars: modern neonatal infrastructure, advanced medical equipment such as incubators, specialised training for healthcare professionals and strengthened management systems.
The renewed focus coincides with President Samia’s recent appointment as the African Union Champion for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, endorsed during the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa. In that continental role, she will advocate for sustainable financing and political commitment to maternal and child health across Africa under Agenda 2063.
KCA, founded in 2003 by artist and activist Alicia Keys, has expanded from its original HIV/AIDS focus to broader child and family health initiatives globally. In Tanzania, it has already supported improvements at Kwimba District Hospital in Mwanza Region, where neonatal survival outcomes have reportedly improved.
Public health experts note that investment in neonatal care contributes not only to humanitarian outcomes but also to long-term economic productivity and human capital development.
