.png?sfvrsn=6d0e27cd_1 "Partnership for Change - v7 (1)")
Tanzania is committed to improving the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents. Through collective efforts, the country has made strides in addressing maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) challenges. However, gaps remain in health system financing, human resources, and access to quality neonatal and youth-friendly services.
Recognizing the need for strengthened accountability and collaborative action, the Collaborative Advocacy Action Plan (CAAP) initiative was launched in Tanzania. Coordinated by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in partnership with the Ministry of Health under the directorate of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH), the CAAP process was developed with financial and technical support from the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).
The CAAP initiative in Tanzania began with a scoping and assessment of national commitments related to women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. This process was led by the Ministry of Health and involved the multi-stakeholder platform - National RMNCAH Technical Working Group (TWG) with representation from President’s Office - Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG), multilateral and bilateral agencies, implementing partners, academia and representatives from related professional bodies. Through this consultation, stakeholders jointly identified advocacy actions aimed at improving accountability for the implementation of existing commitments while addressing critical gaps requiring new commitments. The process involved reviewing progress against national sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) commitments and identifying areas requiring urgent advocacy efforts.
The Tanzania CAAP outlines five key advocacy goals to drive progress in women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health:
- Strengthening the midwifery workforce - The Ministry of Health aims to improve the availability of competent midwifery professionals in high-mortality areas and facilities, reaching at least 60% of the HRH establishment guideline by 2030.
- Enhancing neonatal care - The Ministry of Health commits to expanding neonatal care facilities, improving equipment and supply availability, and increasing the number of trained neonatal healthcare workers to reduce the neonatal mortality rate to below 12 per 1,000 live births by 2030.
- Strengthening adolescent and youth-friendly health services - By 2030, the Ministry of Health aims to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education, increase access to adolescent-friendly services, and enhance community engagement to reduce teenage pregnancy rates to below 12%.
- Increasing health financing for maternal and child health services - The Ministry of Finance commits to increasing the health budget allocation to 15% and ensuring universal health insurance coverage for maternal, neonatal, and under-five child health services.
- Improving emergency obstetric care - The Ministry of Health will strengthen emergency obstetric care service delivery systems and invest in capacity building in high maternal mortality areas, with a goal of reducing the maternal mortality ratio to below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The recommendations emerging from the commitment scoping have informed the upcoming mid-term review of the national RMNCAH Strategy. Furthermore, a multi-stakeholder platform will oversee the annual review of CAAP implementation progress to ensure continued advocacy and accountability. By leveraging collective action, Tanzania aims to strengthen commitment tracking, advocacy efforts, and policy implementation for improved WCAH outcomes.
The success of Tanzania’s CAAP relies on continued engagement from partners and stakeholders. We invite you to join efforts in advocating for strengthened accountability in WCAH.
For more information or to collaborate on CAAP activities, contact pmnch@who.int