Neonatal ward opens in Kibaoni

The newly-built neonatal ward at Kibaoni health centre in Morogoro region’s Kilombero district was inaugurated on the 26 of April this year. Kibaoni is one of three facilities supported by the ‘A Good Start’ project, which is being implemented in Tanzania by SolidarMed in partnership with the Ministry of Health. The project aims to improve newborn survival rates. It is combined with implementation research to determine the most cost efficient package of services to scale up the project beyond the three healthcare facilities.

In line with the national recommendations, the neonatal ward comprises a Kangaroo Mother Care unit where newborns can benefit from skin-to-skin contact with their mothers. The ward also has an intensive care unit for babies with breathing difficulties, jaundice and other medical problems, and a room for newborn babies with infections. SolidarMed financed most of the medical equipment to ensure high-quality care. This allows the most common risks to be limited and the causes of neonatal death to be combated appropriately and swiftly.