Childbirth in Tanzania and Globally: gaps in research and clinical practice

Globally, 300,000 women and 5 million babies die each year around birth. The vast majority of deaths occur in the world’s poorest countries. With proper care, most would survive. However, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, while facility births are increasing, quality of care often does not follow. This has materialised into an urban disadvantage, where maternal and perinatal mortality is higher in urban than in rural areas. Within the urban setting of Dar es Salaam, PhD student Monica Kujabi has explored how childbirth care is given when the women are many but beds and staff are few. She focuses particularly on oxytocin used to manage prolonged labour and the decision-making process leading to a caesarean section – a rising pandemic.

Building on these findings, the symposium will discuss clinical and research gaps within childbirth care. The need for empathetic respectful labour environments is indispensable. But how is that possible in Dar es Salaam and are challenges similar in other countries? Whose voices are needed, and have we forgotten the women? And how do we close the unjust gaps in research and guidelines which continue to challenge health care in low-resource settings?

Please register for the symposium here (in-person or online attendance)

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