Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Blandina Nyoni

The Ministry of Heath and Social Welfare promised yesterday to ensure the new drug which protects women from life-threatening bleeding after childbirth is available countrywide as soon as possible.

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Blandina Nyoni revealed this at the on-going workshop on the dissemination meeting of antenatal distribution of the drug Misoprostol to prevent Post-Partum Haemorrhage that causes maternal deaths in most developing countries including Tanzania.

She said the aim was to reduce by 75 per cent the maternal mortality in the country by 2015. At present the mortality rate is estimated at 454 per 100,000 births.

She said while the death of women from childbirth is not unique to Tanzania, “we leaders are charged with the responsibility to act quickly, move strategically and work collaboratively to save mothers’ lives.”

“We need to increase the number of women protected from Post-Partum Haemorrhage (PPH) with an uterotonic drug especially at home births,” she said.

The PS said further that it was important to act quickly because PPH can’t be predicted, noting that if 53 per cent of pregnant women are still delivering at home there was a need to ensure that they are equipped to prevent PPH from happening if they cannot make it to the health facility to deliver.

“As you can see, Misoprostol is safe, effective, and easy to use and is also inexpensive,” she said.

Nyoni said last year, the Ministry announced its plans to include Misoprostol in mama packs that would be delivered during the antenatal care visits.

“We are finalising plans to roll out the campaign and call upon partners to join the Ministry’s efforts to save mothers’ lives, reduce maternal mortality within the country” said Nyoni

Meanwhile, Dr Albert Kitumbo from Ifakara Research Institute (IRI) has said while distribution of Misoprostol drugs at ANC was shown to be feasible and effective, additional means of reaching women with these life-saving drugs should be considered.

“For example Misoprostol could be included in clean delivery kits, (mama Packs) and distributed through ANC or other community level mechanisms to increase the number of women who can receive the drug during pregnancy or at delivery,” he said.

He said however that, community level education was important to ensure that women are aware of the dangers of PPH, understand where they could get those drugs in case of a home delivery as well as informed on correct use.

“Antenatal Care Providers should be trained to distribute the drug as well as lowering the gestational age restriction to at least the second trimester or removing it completely to increase coverage of distribution to pregnant women,” said the expert citing Zambia and Kenya which distributed Misoprostol to women at their first ANC visit, resulting in higher coverage without compromising safety.”

“So if this were adopted in Tanzania, marked increases in the number of women taking Misoprostol home from ANC would be possible,” said Dr Kitumbo.

On Wednesday US and Tanzania researchers revealed their discovery of the new drug named in Dar es Salaam.

Dr Godfrey Mbaruku, Deputy Director of the Ifakara Health Institute which carried out the research said the discovery is especially critical for women who deliver, at home due to lack of medical facilities.

The doctors say the drug once administered to expectant mothers, would work even if they delivered at home.

By Beatrice Philemon, The Guardian

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