HABARI GANI (“What news” in Swahili)
A Newsletter by Priscilla and Henry Ziegler (Tanzania)
April, 2008
It is now the rainy season – lots of mud, lots of puddles (big enough to be called ponds), lots of potholes in the roads. We had a very bad downpour two weeks ago which flooded streets and made driving a nightmare. After the rains have stopped, malaria will increase - especially in low lying areas such as Buguruni. Remember that malaria is the number one killer in Tanzania.
Recent patients at the health center
The picture below shows a little one (with his mother) who was successfully treated for pneumonia and malaria. Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of death in under five children.
The woman on the right has AIDS and is the first women whom we have started on antiretroviral drugs. She is doing very well. ARVs are provided free by the government but can be hard to obtain because of limited sites, especially outside the large cities and towns. We are purposely starting our program very slowly but expect it to be overwhelmed within a year.
Clean birth kits
The AIDS peer support program is helping us address the high maternal and newborn infection rates in Tanzania. The midwifery literature speaks of the six cleans that lead to a clean and infection-free delivery. We have developed a simple clean birth kit which contains a plastic sheet to put under the woman, a bar of soap to wash hands, two pairs of sterile gloves for the delivery and cutting of the cord, a sterile scalpel blade to cut the cord, and a sterile cord clamp. Except for the soap, the entire kit is disposable and packaged in a heat-sealed plastic bag. The current kit was developed from a draft kit which was modified after review by Amana Hospital and our own Buguruni staff.
Birth kits were first introduced in Nepal and were originally developed for home deliveries, which is the usual place for deliveries in developing countries. The Tanzanian government is pushing for all deliveries to be done in health facilities – dispensaries, health centers, and hospitals. So our birth kit is meant to be used in such facilities and is an inexpensive and convenient way to provide supplies for deliveries.
Our AIDS Peer Support members will be putting together the kits which cost approximately $1.70 to make and will be sold for $2.10. Part of the profit will go directly to members putting the kits together and the rest will support the MEA Foundation and the Peer Support program. Mvumi Hospital near Dodoma does 300 deliveries a month and has already ordered 500 kits. The photos below show the kits being prepared.
Dodoma Christian Medical Centre
The partnership between the Lutheran affiliated Dodoma Christian Medical Centre and the Anglican Diocese of Dar es Salaam continues to move forward. The goal is to have a national level referral hospital system in Dodoma and to upgrade the Buguruni Anglican Health Centre to become the first Christian hospital in Dar es Salaam. The picture above shows the Tanzanian members of the Dodoma Christian Medical Centre Board of Trustees and Bishop Mokiwa (soon to be Archbishop Mokiwa). Starting from the right: Bishop Mwamasika (the Lutheran Bishop of Dodoma), Bishop Mokiwa, Priscilla, Mama Kamm (a former Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Board of DCMC), Henry, Dr. Mbenna (the Tanzanian head of Project Concern which is a program helping orphans), and Mr. Mushi (a successful businessman).
We hope to have ambulatory care available at Dodoma Christian Medical Centre by the end of the summer and inpatient care beginning by the first part of 2009. Henry is to be Director of DCMC and Priscilla is to be Director of Nursing. We will, of course, still be involved with the programs in Buguruni and the Coast Region.
The picture below shows the reproductive and child health centre where we will do walk-in care as well as maternal and child care. Under Dr. Charles Rabemahefa’s excellent leadership, the dental clinic (pictured on the right) is doing very well. The dental treatment given is at a very high level and offered at a low price. It is attracting members of Parliament and people from Dar es Salaam - even though Dodoma is a six hour drive from Dar. In addition, the dental team is doing health education in the schools and in the closest village and encouraging many poor local people to come for care. There is a charity fund to help pay for part or all of their bills. Unfortunately, many people here are scared of dentists because the local untrained dentists are known to pull teeth with no anesthesia. Also, there are only approximately 200 dentists in the whole of Tanzania with its population of 37 million.
Mvumi Hospital
Mvumi Hospital is an Anglican Hospital of the Diocese of Dodoma and functions as the district hospital in a rural district an hour away from Dodoma. It is a logical feeder hospital to the Dodoma Christian Medical Centre and has a nursing school and schools for clinical officers and laboratory assistants. In keeping with the Lutheran-Anglican-Government partnership, strengthening its services is important. The acting hospital director invited Priscilla to assess their nursing school which has 120 students and only four instructors. While reviewing the program Priscilla emphasized the importance of a clean environment. Since her assessment and training, blue pads are now on every bed of the hospital and have been nicknamed “Mama Priscillas.”
Center for International Health
Through our partner the Milwaukee’s Center for International Health, we have received a food grant from USAID. The 75 metric tons of prepackaged food will allow supplemental food for 30-40,000 malnourished children, AIDS patients, and other malnourished people. We will be distributing the food in our local communities in Dar es Salaam and in the Coast Region. We are doing nutritional counseling at the health center for malnourished children but now we can actually improve their diets.
Visit to the Bugurui Anglican Health Centre
A Tanzanian senior Ministry of Health representative, the chair of the Pan-African Parliament, and the US Ambassador introduced the funding for a nationwide radio show at Buguruni Anglican Health Centre. The program uses a soap opera format to teach about improving maternal and child health and family planning. The opening allowed us to showcase our health centre and our exciting programs.
In the picture below can be seen (beginning on the left): the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health (secretary in this context means senior administrative officer), Mark Green (the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania), and a member of the Tanzanian Parliament who is also Chair of the Pan-African Parliament. On the right are children from St. Augustine Primary School who helped greet the dignitaries.
T-shirts and pink kangas (a cloth that is used as a wrap around skirt) were given to participants and community members. Some of the community members greeting the delegation are shown below. The last photo is that of Ernest Bendera who is our new administrator and who spoke to the group. Our small health center was packed with photographers, community members, and staff! The introduction of the funding from USAID took place in tents next to the primary school.
Thank you
A special thank you to our friends in Arizona – the Diocese has donated enough money to help pay for nearly 75% of the cost of our CBC machine. Now we have reliable data to assess our patients. Also, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Arizona has given us money to help maintain our vital Incarnation AIDS Orphan Program.
May God bless all of us,
Henry and Priscilla
Henry and Priscilla Ziegler
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