Scale up of anaesthesia services in underserved rural Tanzania.

Background: Because of critical shortage of physician anaesthesiologists, the government of Tanzania adopted a task shifting strategy for provision of anaesthesia services. This paper describes the results of an operational study designed to increase the number of anaesthesia providers for emergency obstetric surgeries in order to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in underserved rural Tanzania.

Methods: In 2016 a before-after cohort study was conducted in seven health centres in rural Tanzania.

Improving access to emergency obstetric care in underserved rural Tanzania: a prospective cohort study.

Background: One of the key strategies to reducing maternal mortality is provision of emergency obstetric care services. This paper describes the results of improving availability of, and access to emergency obstetric care services in underserved rural Tanzania using associate clinicians.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of emergency obstetric care was implemented in seven health centres in Morogoro region, Tanzania from July 2016 to June 2019.

Scale up and strengthening of comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care in Tanzania.

Introduction: In Tanzania, inadequate access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) services is the major bottleneck for perinatal care and results in high maternal and perinatal mortality. From 2015 to 2019, the Accessing Safe Deliveries in Tanzania project was implemented to study how to improve access to CEmONC services in underserved rural areas.

Methods: A five-year longitudinal cohort study was implemented in seven health centres (HCs) and 21 satellite dispensaries in Morogoro region.

Supporting breastfeeding: Tanzanian men's knowledge and attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is one of the key strategies to ensure infants and young children survive and grow. However, a 2010 study showed that it was only practiced by 50% of Tanzanian women. That study also found that men were rarely supportive; either at home or in the health facilities, due to their personal beliefs or to traditional beliefs and culture of the community.

Knowledge acquisition after Helping Babies Survive training in rural Tanzania.

Background: While the effectiveness of Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training in Tanzania has been reported, no published studies of Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) and Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) in this setting have been found. This study compared knowledge before and after HBB, ECEB and ECSB training in Tanzania.

Methods: Training was provided to future facilitators (n=16) and learners (n=24) in Tanzania.