The government has vowed to improve the welfare of nurses and midwives in Tanzania. To start with, it has announced plans of reviewing healthcare workers' salaries and benefits. "The government remains committed to support such an important cadre in the society and we are more than ready to improve their welfare," assured Health Minister, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, while addressing nurses and midwives, who gathered here for the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing (ECSACON) 14th Scientific Conference on Wednesday.
Likewise, Dr. Gwajima also assured that the government will continue treasuring midwives, noting that it will put more focus on training the health professionals. "Maternal and neonatal deaths still remain a challenge in Tanzania, we will therefore, continue training our women who play an instrumental role to introduce women to the health system and ensure that women and their babies receive a continuum of skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth," she said.
According to Dr. Gwajima, nurses form 70 percent of all health workers in the country. Over the years, the government has vowed to continue employing nurses to cope with the rising demand in the health sector. Statistics show that about 80 percent of health services in the hospitals, health centres and dispensaries are provided by nurses. Earlier on, the Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services (DNMS), Saturine Manangwa observed that nurses had become front liners as the world grappled with COVID-19 pandemic.He called on ECSACON members to support the cadre.
"Mindful of what our colleagues are going through, I think it is just prudent to support them," he added. The three-day gathering brings together nurses and midwives and other professional across the East Central and Southern Africa region and beyond to share knowledge and exchange professional experience for the purpose of improving the quality of health care services.
Some of the themes that will be discussed in the conference include "Revitalizing Primary Health Care through Astana Declaration, Beyond Zero Maternal and neonatal deaths": The role of nurses and midwives and Nursing and Midwifery workforce in response to Global Diseases threats and Disasters. ECSACON is a professional body that aims to strengthen the nursing and midwifery profession in order to attain health for all in the ECSA region.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania Tel Aviv, Israel.
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