Improving Access to Health Services and Quality of Care for Mothers and Children in Tanzania (IMCHA)
Programs and partnerships
Lead institution(s)
Summary
This project aims to reduce maternal, newborn, and child deaths in Tanzania. The Government of Tanzania has placed a high priority on this issue.Read more
This project aims to reduce maternal, newborn, and child deaths in Tanzania. The Government of Tanzania has placed a high priority on this issue. Healthcare service coverage has increased in recent years, but there are still significant geographic, financial, and socio-cultural barriers to services being accessed.
Recent studies in Tanzania have shown that when healthcare systems are addressed (including barriers to health services and improving the quality of care), maternal and newborn deaths can be substantially reduced.
Removing barriers to health care
This project is designed to improve maternal, newborn, and child health. It consists of select interventions targeting users and providers of health care in four districts in Tanzania's Iringa region.
Researchers will look at how poverty, gender relations, and living in rural areas act as barriers to accessing quality care. The project's interventions will address delays caused by:
-decisions to seek care
-transportation needs
-availability of adequate and timely care at the facility
The project team will evaluate the impacts and conduct a cost analysis of the interventions.
Better access, increased demand
This project is expected to increase demand and use of maternal and newborn health services. Researchers will share their findings with policymakers, program managers, and representatives of international organizations working in Tanzania. Their findings will be presented at national conferences and at the University of Dar es Salaam. They will also submit papers to peer-reviewed and academic journals.
Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa
This project is part of the Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa program, a seven-year $36 million initiative funded by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Research outputs
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The brochure/infographic provides a visual key to the participatory action research cycle used in the IMCHA programme (Improving access to health services and quality of care for Mothers and Children in Tanzania). The project addressed problems of home deliveries, late and skipped maternal health care visits, low use of family planning, and lack of male participation.
Research findings show that male partner support increases women’s access to and use of maternal health services. The brochure encourages men’s participation and involvement in maternal and child health through antenatal health services. Traditional gender roles and societal norms influence men’s involvement in maternal health.
This brochure/poster provides information at-a-glance regarding the Improving Access to Health Services and Quality of Care for Mothers and Children programme, which aimed to increase demand for maternal and child health services in rural Tanzania. Key results include a 24% increased in antenatal care and a 14% increase in women attended by skilled birthing assistants. As well, male champions of the project helped engage men significantly in maternal and child health.
This one-page infographic brochure identifies barriers to antenatal care resulting from focus group interviews: traditional beliefs and gender roles; fear of shame and stigma; previous experiences with pregnancy; and limited access to information.
This is a one-page brochure briefly summarizing barriers to antenatal care: spousal escort policy; rude language used by health workers; limited access to healthcare due to geographical distance.
