ITILIMA DC TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY OPERATION SERVICES

Itilima DC will now be able to provide emergency operating services to pregnant women after being handed over one obstetric equipped theater at Nkoma health center which has been constructed by the Benjamin W. Mkapa Foundation (BMF) with the financial support from the government of the People’s Republic of Japan through the Embassy of Japan in Tanzania.

The handing over ceremony of the obstetric theater took place on 8^th July 2017, at Nkoma health Center and was graced by H.E Benjamin W. Mkapa, Former President of Tanzania and Settlor of BMF, along him was the ambassador of Japan in Tanzania, Amb. Masaharu Yoshida, Mama Anna Mkapa, former first lady, Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Amb. Charles Sanga, Chairman of BMF’s Board of Trustees and Simiyu regional authority.

H.E Benjamin W. Mkapa, the Settlor of BMF and Amb. Masaharu Yoshida cutting a ribbon to inaugurate the newly constructed obstetric theater in a ceremony held on 8^th July 2017 in Itilima Simiyu. Standing with them is Hon, Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of Health, Community Development, Elderly and Children (left) and Hon. Antony Mtaka, Regional Commissioner of Simiyu.

Addressing the citizen who came to witness the event, H.E Benjamin W. Mkapa thanked the 5^th phase of the Government of Tanzania lead by H.E Dr. John Pombe Magufuli, President of Tanzania for the continues effort in tackling challenges within the health sector. Also he thanked the government of the People’s Republic of Japan for their support and hope for continuous cooperation with BMF, lastly he applauded Itilima DC for the initiative to equip the theater with latest basic equipment to start provision of service.

“I urge you all to work very hard and free ourselves from the ideology of being dependency as it is the only way to develop”, stated H.E Benjamin W. Mkapa.

Amb. Masaharu Yoshida, said that, in a meeting held in 2016 in Nairobi the Government of the People’s Republic of Japan insisted to support the development of the health sector. The meeting agreed on the agenda of strengthening health systems for better health services.

From left: H.E Benjamin W. Mkapa, Settlor of BMF, Amb. Masaharu Yoshida, Ambassador of Japan in Tanzania, Amb. Charles Sanga, Chairman of BMF’s Board of Trustess, Mama Anna Mkapa, Former First Lady of URT, Dr. Ellen Mkondya-Senkoro, CEO of BMF and Mrs. Eileen Swai, BMF’s Board Observer at the handing over of obstetric theater held on 8^th July 2017 at Nkoma health center in Simiyu Region.

Speaking to the public, Hon. Ummy Mwalimu clarified that the health sector still faces some challenges such as only 20% of the health facilities provide emergency operation service to pregnant women despite government effort to ensure by 2020, 50% of health facilities in the country provide emergence operating services. She continues that before Dec, 2017 the government will provide an ultrasound machine to Nkoma health center. To mitigate the human resource for health crisis, the government is planning to recruit 52,000 among them will be health workers of which priority will go to workers recruited by BMF as they have shown willingness to work in remote areas, said Ummy Mwalimu.

Giving a brief about the program which facilitated the construction of the obstetric theater, Dr. Ellen Mkondya-Senkoro, CEO of BMF said that, this theater has been constructed through Mkapa Fellow Program phase II. The theater has been constructed by a local company called Emirates Aluminum Co. Limited and cost Tshs 265,997,800 million.

H.E Benjamin W. Mkapa, Settlor of BMF, hands over certificate of project completion to Deo Marandu, Managing Director of Emirates Aluminum Co. Limited, a company that constructed the obstetric theater during the handing over ceremony held on 8^th July 2017 at Nkoma health center in Itilima DC, Simiyu region.

Mary Kasuka, a health worker and community member in Itilima DC, thank BMF for the construction the obstetric theater and urged fellow women to come and deliver at the facility as now emergency operating services will be available.

Villagers following up the handing over ceremony of obstetric theater constructed by BMF held on 8^th July 2017 in Nkoma health center, Itilima DC, Simiyu region.