- Samia backs strategic partnership to expand specialised services
DAR ES SALAAM: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan has moved to consolidate Tanzania’s gains in maternal and child health by backing a strategic partnership aimed at expanding specialised neonatal care services across the country.
During talks at State House in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Head of State pledged full government support for collaboration with Keep a Child Alive (KCA), an international non-governmental organisation, to construct 27 modern neonatal wards in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
The meeting, attended by a delegation led by KCA Chief Executive Officer Antonio Ruiz-Giménez, Jr, signals a policy shift from general maternal health improvements towards targeted investment in specialised newborn care, an area that remains a critical gap despite broader sector progress.
President Samia emphasised that the government will facilitate effective coordination, allocate land for construction and integrate the new facilities into the national health system to ensure longterm sustainability.
The initiative will be implemented in partnership with the Doris Mollel Foundation, a local organisation that has championed premature baby care for years.
Tanzania has recorded measurable progress in maternal and child health over the past decade.
According to government data, maternal mortality declined from 556 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016 to 104 per 100,000 live births in 2022.
Under-five mortality also fell by 36 per cent during the same period, from 67 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births.
These gains have largely been attributed to increased investment in primary healthcare infrastructure, recruitment of health workers and improved availability of medicines and equipment.
However, the President acknowledged that neonatal mortality particularly among premature babies remains a stubborn challenge.
The shortage of specialised newborn care units, including incubators and adequately trained neonatal staff, continues to undermine survival rates for preterm infants.
Her administration has therefore prioritised the construction of 15 neonatal wards in regional hospitals and 20 in district hospitals built to international standards.
The KCA partnership is expected to complement and accelerate this strategy by injecting both financial and technical resources into the neonatal sub-sector.
President Samia’s domestic push coincides with her recent appointment as the African Union Champion for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, a continental leadership role endorsed during the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
In this one-year mandate, she will lead advocacy efforts across AU member states to strengthen political commitment and sustainable financing for reproductive, maternal and child health.
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The role aligns with Africa’s Agenda 2063, which recognises maternal and child health as foundational to long-term socio-economic transformation.
According to a statement issued by Directorate of Presidential Communication, indicated that her appointment followed recommendations from the Committee of Heads of State and Government overseeing the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The government–KCA partnership is structured around four core pillars: Construction of quality neonatal infrastructure, investment in modern medical equipment such as incubators, training of health professionals in specialised newborn care and strengthening management systems within health facilities.
For Tanzania, this approach marks a shift from quantitative expansion of facilities to qualitative upgrading of services.
While health centres have been built closer to communities over the past decade, many lack specialised units capable of managing complications associated with premature births.
By integrating the new wards into the national health system, the government aims to avoid the sustainability pitfalls often associated with donorfunded projects, where infrastructure is developed without adequate longterm staffing and maintenance frameworks.
For his part, RuizGiménez, Jr expressed appreciation for the government’s openness to partnership and reaffirmed KCA’s commitment to strengthening maternal and child health services in Tanzania.
Founded in 2003 by international artist and activist Alicia Keys, Keep a Child Alive has evolved from an HIV-focused charity into a broader health and social support organisation serving vulnerable children and families globally.
In Tanzania, KCA has already collaborated with the Doris Mollel Foundation to construct and upgrade a neonatal ward at Kwimba District Hospital in Mwanza Region, an intervention that has reportedly improved survival outcomes for premature infants in the area.
Beyond its humanitarian dimension, the renewed focus on neonatal care carries broader economic implications.
Reduced maternal and neonatal mortality contributes directly to human capital development, workforce productivity and long-term national growth.
President Samia has consistently argued that sustainable health financing, high-level political leadership and measurable implementation mechanisms are essential to ensuring that continental and global commitments translate into tangible outcomes at community level.
Her AU champion role will include promoting mutual learning among member states, encouraging policy harmonisation and instituting periodic evaluations of progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes.