Working as a Nurse in Tanzania

By Paul Mwakajila – Art in Tanzania internship

Medical and Public Health

As a nurse and midwife, the primary responsibility is to save people’s lives, especially a pregnant women. Despite the efforts of the government and health workers, the problems still exist. 
Pregnant women seek maternity leave, which occurs at home, on the way, and in a few service delivery areas due to being late.
There are many causes for this problem.
Fira St, the shortage of facilities and health care providers.
Traditional birth attendant (TBA): It’s true that traditional birth attendants have done a great job of helping pregnant women give birth, especially in the years before advanced technology. But now the challenges of pregnant women are more and more great, so you don’t need only experience without knowledge and skills. 

Early marriage: there are tribes and some cultures in society that believe that a girl should get married no matter how old she is. Usually, a woman’s genitals (reproductive organs) need to be mature enough, at least at the age of 18 years, to allow pregnancy and childbirth to be safer. This culture has become a very thorn to many girls and has led to death and mourning in many families.

There are many causes of maternal death, as well as chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Poor infrastructure, poor education, poor food intake during pregnancy etc.
The solution depends on the causes. Despite the great effort of government and non-government organisations, there is still a great need to build health facilities, employ health care providers, educate the community about the best way to access health care, the importance of attending clinics during pregnancy, food intake during pregnancy, etc.