VISIT BY THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, DR JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE TO WITNESS WORLD LUNG FOUNDATION’S ICT INOVATIONS IN PREVENTING MATERNAL MORTALITY

On the 20th August, 2014, Mwaya village, in Ulanga district, Morogoro came to a standstill as the president of the United Republic of Tanzania; HE Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was visiting WLF-supported Mwaya Health Centre.

A team of experts and technicians led by the Deputy Clinical Director of World Lung Foundation, DrSunday Alfred Dominico demonstrated before the president various ICT solutions that have been developed by the foundation to supplement other interventions in reducing maternal and new-born mortality.

The president witnessed one of the teleconference in which, various health care providers working in remote hard-to-reach areas of Tanzania where connected to the clinical director, Dr Hamed Mohamed in Dar es Salaam. A clinical case operated at Mwaya Health Centre was shared and discussed. Dr Kikwete, accompanied by the first lady Mama Salma Kikwete, applauded World Lung Foundations efforts in comprehensively implementing Tanzania’s sharpened one plan.

Commenting at the event, Minister of State in the President’s Office for Public Service Management, HE, Selina Kombani(Ulanga East MP)commended World Lung Foundation’s work at Mwaya, including constructing modern  state-of-the-art staff houses, theatre, maternity wing, water well, laboratory  and equipping the facility with generators, solar systems and surgical equipments, drugs and supplies.

Mwaya health centre is one of the 15 facilities supported by World Lung Foundation, in Kigoma, Pwani and Morogoro.  The foundation, led by the Director Dr. Nguke Mwakatundu, implements a maternal health project that is based on decentralizing life serving Emergency Obstetric Care to remote facilities beyond district hospital and tasking shifting of these skills to non-physician clinicians.