Launch of Deliver Now for Women and Children in Tanzania
Norwegian Prime Minister joins President Kikwete to launch Deliver Now for Women and Children Tanzania and the One Plan to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality
Press release
The state leaders, both members of the Global Network of Leaders advocating for achievement of MDG 4 and 5, recognize urgent action is needed in Tanzania to save the lives of women and children
Every day as 24 women die of pregnancy and childbirth--related complications and over 450 children under-five die including 120 newborns.
22 April 2008 Dar es Salaam - President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania and Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, joined forces today to prevent maternal, newborn and child deaths in the country. At a ceremony held at the Mövenpick Hotel in Dar es Salaam, the two State leaders, jointly launched an ambitious technical plan to reduce the number of maternal, newborn and child deaths alongside a new advocacy campaign, Deliver Now for Women and Children in Tanzania to mobilize communities around this issue.
Maternal mortality rates in Tanzania are still among the highest in the world, with 24 women dying every day from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. Despite an acceleration in the reduction of child mortality in Tanzania, still over 450 children under five years of age die each day.
The new strategy -called the National Road Map Strategic Plan to Accelerate Reduction of Maternal, Newborn and Child Deaths in Tanzania (also known as the "One Plan") was developed by the Reproductive and Child Health Section of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and partners. It aims at improving maternal, newborn and child health by providing a framework for supporting implementation of life-saving interventions, improving coordination among different stakeholders, aligning resources and standardizing monitoring efforts. The aim is to ensure delivery of services across the continuum of care from pregnancy, through childbirth and childhood to the age of 5.
Advocacy is an essential component of the One Plan, and Deliver Now for Women and Children Tanzania will be used as a way to mobilize communities around the issues of maternal, newborn and child mortality, as well as the government, donor partners and civil society, in support of the implementation of the strategic roadmap. Deliver Now for Women and Children is part of Prime Minister Stoltenberg's effort and commitment to mobilize global leaders to increase efforts for better maternal and child health, and for more progress on Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5, which respectively call for the reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health respectively. Deliver Now was launched as part of the Global Campaign for the Health MDGs, released in September last year by the Prime Minister and other Heads of State in New York.
At the launching, organized by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Tanzanian Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, President Kikwete thanked Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg for his support and welcomed the more than 200 participants to the ceremony. Holding the new strategy in his hand, he said: "Maternal and child mortality rates in Tanzania are too high. Significant new resources are needed to scale up known effective interventions if we want to reduce them. I am calling on all bilateral and multilateral partners, national and international, to align their resources and support this plan, to make the attainment of MDGs 4 & 5 a reality in Tanzania."
After presenting the document, both Heads of State walked to the side of the stage where they unveiled the new country logo for Deliver Now for Women and Children Tanzania, launching the advocacy campaign aimed at mobilizing public opinion in support of maternal, newborn and child health, and the communities for an increased demand of quality health services.
Prime Minister Stoltenberg praised President's Kikwete's role as member of the Global Network of Leaders, and the initiative of being one of the first countries launching Deliver Now for Women and Children nationally. He also referred to Tanzania's recent acknowledged achievements in the reduction of child mortality and reaffirmed his commitment to continue the partnership work with the country, particularly to make sure that there is notable progress also in the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality, which have not fallen during the same period of time.
The One Plan has been designed to promote actions that will help Tanzania achieve MDGs 4 and 5 by 2015. Much of the success depends on the level of support and mobilization that exists at the community level, where the demand for better health services should originate. This is the role of the campaign launched simultaneously: Deliver Now for Women and Children Tanzania.
The advocacy campaign is designed to mobilize public opinion and maintain political will by training civil society groups and health care professionals and providing them with the information needed so as to lobby for more resources and provide the quality health care needed. These activities will be reinforced by a national media campaign targeted at the communities, to encourage people to demand better care for their mothers and children.
The high level event preceded a press conference with three speakers: Ambassador Mongella, Hon. Professor David Homeli Mwakyusa (MP) Minister for Health and Social Welfare and Dr Songane, Director of the (Global) Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
For more information, please contact:
For more information on Deliver Now for Women and Children, please visit: www.delivernow.org
For more information on the visit of the Prime Minister to Tanzania, please visit: www.norway.go.tz/News/Embassy-News/Stoltenberg+to+Tanzania.htm
For more information on the One Plan for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, please contact:
Dr. Catherine Sanga
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
Tel: 0754 571313
Email: Cbsanga2003@yahoo.co.uk