THE government has signed a 27.3bn/- grant agreement with Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to fund improvement of medical equipment for enhancing maternal and child health care services.

Dr Natu Mwamba, the Treasury permanent secretary said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the project’s implementation would significantly enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare services, particularly for maternal and newborn care.

The grant will facilitate procuring better medical equipment, improving capacity for examination, diagnosis and treatment at seven regional referral hospitals, she said, listing the facilities as

Dodoma Hospital, Tumbi Hospital in Coast Region, Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha, Sekou-Toure Hospital in Mwanza, Songea Hospital in Ruvuma, Maweni Hospital in Kigoma and Lumumba Hospital in Zanzibar.

“This is a continuation of growing support, as evidenced by the increasing number of bilateral development projects funded by the government of Japan through Official Development Assistance. This support aligns with our current Five-Year Development Plan, which aims, among other things, to address quality challenges in health services,” she explained.

The project complements the government’s ongoing efforts to improve accessibility and quality of healthcare services for local communities, she said, expressing deep appreciation for Japan's support, the significant role it has played in driving sustainable socio-economic development and improving livelihoods.

Hitoshi Ara, the JICA chief representative, noted that JICA has been a long-time supporter of Tanzania’s health sector, focusing on strengthening hospital management and building capacity for quality health service management, citing the 5S, Kaizen and TQM approaches at regional referral hospitals.

“By institutionalizing these activities, we have witnessed improvements in efficiency, safety and service quality. We believe these efforts have significantly contributed to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) efforts,” he said.

The representative highlighted significant improvements in maternal mortality rates—from 760 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 238 in 2020—along with reductions in infant and under-five mortality rates, noting however that challenges persist.

One of the key issues is insufficient provision of timely and appropriate examinations and treatments during antenatal check-ups and childbirth, along with complications during pregnancy and delivery, he stated.

Although improvements have been made in hospital management and healthcare facilities, equipment and referral systems are still inadequate, he affirmed, noting that JICA’s financial cooperation has traditionally focused on infrastructure development, such as road construction.

This grant marks the first health sector project funded by JICA in the past 20 years, showing the importance placed on the health sector and the need for policy and system strengthening along with infrastructure and equipment improvements, he added.