In a strong push to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, the Ifakara Health Institute participated in the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner’s Office’s Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) quarterly meeting, convened through its health department on May 29–30, 2025.

Held at Ngome Hall, the gathering brought together 87 key stakeholders, including health managers, clinicians, and technical experts, all united by a common goal: to analyze and learn from every maternal and perinatal death and turn those lessons into life-saving actions.

The meeting is part of the region’s ongoing efforts to strengthen maternal, newborn, and child health services. The session focused on reviewing all deaths reported between January and March 2025, identifying systemic gaps, sharing best practices, and recommending targeted interventions to prevent future tragedies.

NEST360 presents facility data on newborns

Notably, Agnes Mgaya, the Dar es Salaam Regional Reproductive and Child Health Coordinator, presented on behalf of the NEST360 program at Ifakara. She shared facility-level data on admitted neonates from two hospitals, stressing the importance of properly recording, understanding, analyzing, and using this information. She emphasized how participants can leverage data to drive reductions in deaths and inform strategic planning at specific facilities.

Other participants

Participants included representatives from district hospitals such as Kigamboni, Vijibweni, Ubungo, Sinza, Kivule, Mnazi Mmoja, Mabwepande, and Mbagala Rangi Tatu, alongside experts from major referral hospitals like Amana, Mwananyamala, Temeke, Muhimbili National Hospital (Upanga and Mloganzila), and the Orthopaedic Institute (MOI). Critical voices in the room ranged from obstetricians and pediatricians to anesthetists, matrons, facility in-charges, and members of the regional and district health management teams.

The importance of this meeting

These quarterly reviews are a key pillar of Tanzania’s national MPDSR strategy, which requires health facilities to conduct confidential enquiries into all maternal and perinatal deaths and use the findings to drive improvements. Common actions arising from these reviews include strengthening referral systems, upgrading clinical skills, improving data reporting, and ensuring that essential supplies are always available.

While the Dar es Salaam region has been particularly active in implementing maternal and child health interventions, participants discussed challenges such as late referrals, inadequate blood supplies, and gaps in emergency care as ongoing burdens. This meeting provided an opportunity for health leaders to coordinate stronger, facility-specific and district-wide responses.