New survey paints grim picture of Dar HIV care
By ERICK ODINYA
Although HIV counselling services are available throughout Tanzania — about one in every four healthcare facilities has a HIV counselling and testing system. Antiretroviral treatment is far less available nationwide.
The Service Provision Assessment Survey (TSPA), which was conducted by the Tanzanian and US governments, collected data from nationally representative samples of 611 health facilities in Tanzania.
According to the report, which was released in Dar es Salaam last week, one in eight healthcare facilities provides prevention of mother-to-child transmission services while only four per cent of all health facilities prescribe antiretroviral therapy.
Infrastructure problems and infection control are still major setbacks to Tanzania’s health services, consequently endangering both staff and patients.
“For instance, only 33 per cent of healthcare facilities in the country, including half of all the hospitals, have running water, while others lack infection control equipment,” said the report.
It further said that one third of facilities lack soap, only half have latex gloves and less than one-third have adequate systems for disposing of needles and infectious waste.
The stock outages of medicines and poor storage systems obstruct the effectiveness of some vaccines, making them useless for disease prevention.
More than 90 per cent of health facilities alleged to offer immunisation system, but only 74 per cent had vaccines at the time of the survey.
The report revealed that less than half of the health facilities have the necessary equipment for correct temperature monitoring, and about a third do not maintain proper temperature control.
In some services, the survey shows, insufficient counselling was the major problem. Most facilities providing antenatal care had the antimalarial medicine for intermittent prevention treatment (IPT) for pregnant women.
However, less than one third of pregnant women were given the first IPT dose in the facility under the supervision of the provider, and less than 10 per cent were advised to get the second dose.
Some critical issues were also neglected in the antenatal care services, during more than 1,000 observed counselling sessions in antenatal clinics.
The health providers described the risk symptoms of pregnancy in only one-fourth of sessions and discussed nutrition in less than 20 per cent.
MORE IN NEWS
Hostility, mistrust await new UN force
Otti under house arrest for 'plotting with Uganda army'
Aid groups call for support for talks
Can the African Union deliver real peace?
UN supports efforts to end Palestinians’ woes
Hostility, mistrust await new UN force
Despite big finds, country remains mostly unexplored
Tanzania faces $27m IPTL lawsuit in the US
UN says Burundi rebels are arming child soldiers
Oil industry ‘must support’ peace in Southern Sudan
We are committed to private sector growth, says IFC
Why we need to be in the Commonwealth
Let’s bury the hatchet, Kagame tells Museveni
Climate change to hit Kenya, Uganda
Kenya now leads in global war on Aids, says UN
Uganda students go to court over colleges’ status
Mwencha to leave Comesa after 25 years
Somalia’s Ugandan-trained troops defecting to militias
New survey paints grim picture of Dar HIV care
EA needs $6b a year for housing
Comesa grants Kenya safeguards on wheat and sugar imports
New survey paints grim picture of Dar HIV care
By ERICK ODINYA
Although HIV counselling services are available throughout Tanzania — about one in every four healthcare facilities has a HIV counselling and testing system. Antiretroviral treatment is far less available nationwide.
The Service Provision Assessment Survey (TSPA), which was conducted by the Tanzanian and US governments, collected data from nationally representative samples of 611 health facilities in Tanzania.
According to the report, which was released in Dar es Salaam last week, one in eight healthcare facilities provides prevention of mother-to-child transmission services while only four per cent of all health facilities prescribe antiretroviral therapy.
Infrastructure problems and infection control are still major setbacks to Tanzania’s health services, consequently endangering both staff and patients.
“For instance, only 33 per cent of healthcare facilities in the country, including half of all the hospitals, have running water, while others lack infection control equipment,” said the report.
It further said that one third of facilities lack soap, only half have latex gloves and less than one-third have adequate systems for disposing of needles and infectious waste.
The stock outages of medicines and poor storage systems obstruct the effectiveness of some vaccines, making them useless for disease prevention.
More than 90 per cent of health facilities alleged to offer immunisation system, but only 74 per cent had vaccines at the time of the survey.
The report revealed that less than half of the health facilities have the necessary equipment for correct temperature monitoring, and about a third do not maintain proper temperature control.
In some services, the survey shows, insufficient counselling was the major problem. Most facilities providing antenatal care had the antimalarial medicine for intermittent prevention treatment (IPT) for pregnant women.
However, less than one third of pregnant women were given the first IPT dose in the facility under the supervision of the provider, and less than 10 per cent were advised to get the second dose.
Some critical issues were also neglected in the antenatal care services, during more than 1,000 observed counselling sessions in antenatal clinics.
The health providers described the risk symptoms of pregnancy in only one-fourth of sessions and discussed nutrition in less than 20 per cent.
MORE IN NEWS
Hostility, mistrust await new UN force
Otti under house arrest for 'plotting with Uganda army'
Aid groups call for support for talks
Can the African Union deliver real peace?
UN supports efforts to end Palestinians’ woes
Hostility, mistrust await new UN force
Despite big finds, country remains mostly unexplored
Tanzania faces $27m IPTL lawsuit in the US
UN says Burundi rebels are arming child soldiers
Oil industry ‘must support’ peace in Southern Sudan
We are committed to private sector growth, says IFC
Why we need to be in the Commonwealth
Let’s bury the hatchet, Kagame tells Museveni
Climate change to hit Kenya, Uganda
Kenya now leads in global war on Aids, says UN
Uganda students go to court over colleges’ status
Mwencha to leave Comesa after 25 years
Somalia’s Ugandan-trained troops defecting to militias
New survey paints grim picture of Dar HIV care
EA needs $6b a year for housing
Comesa grants Kenya safeguards on wheat and sugar imports
