Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
World Lung Foundation today welcomed the publication of a new report, “Building a Future for Women and Children: The 2012 Report”, published by Countdown to 2015 – a global movement of academics, governments, international agencies, health-care professional associations, donors, and nongovernmental organizations, together with The Lancet. The report notes that both maternal and child mortality have declined dramatically, but the majority of countries still need to accelerate progress to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 (MDG 4 and 5) to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. The report notes that innovative approaches have been adopted in the United Republic of Tanzania, where World Lung Foundation funds and runs projects to improve maternal health.
Peter Baldini, Chief Executive Officer, World Lung Foundation, commented, ““Building a Future for Women and Children” documents progress – and obstacles to progress – towards achieving MDG 4 and 5. For example, we know the United Republic of Tanzania nearly halved maternal deaths between 1990 and 2010, but this report confirms that the country is mot on track to meet MDG 4 and 5 by 2015. In 2010, there were 76 deaths per 1,000 live births among under 5-year olds and 460 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. So while progress has been made, the toll is still too high and we would encourage the Tanzanian government to accelerate improvements that are already happening within the country. Since 2006, Bloomberg Philanthropies and World Lung Foundation have been working closely with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and with Tanzanian partners like the Ifakara Health Institute, to implement a state-of –the-art maternal health program. We have proven that this model is cost-effective and it works, and we would urge the Tanzanian government to replicate it across other regions in order to save even more lives.”
World Lung Foundation’s activities in Tanzania are proven, cost-effective interventions. In isolated rural regions, maternal deaths often are caused by a lack of obstetric care, including emergency surgery for obstructed labor. World Lung Foundation has helped to improve access to obstetric care for women living in rural communities, so these women no longer have to risk their lives by travelling long distances with uncertain transportation to reach a hospital. The program has renovated health centers and constructed operating theaters, maternity wards, laboratories and staff housing in three rural regions: Kigoma, Morogoro, and Pwani, and has trained personnel who work in these areas. Along with nurses and midwives, World Lung Foundation has trained Assistant Medical Officers (AMOs) in local communities to deliver basic obstetric surgery, such as c-section deliveries. This has increased the number of babies born safely and averted needless maternal deaths.