Strengthening the Public Health System to Deliver Quality Comprehensive Postabortion Care in Mainland Tanzania

Reducing maternal mortality is a high priority in Tanzania, demonstrated in various national commitments, including Vision 2025, the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, the National Five–year Development Plan, the National Health Policy, and the Health Sector Strategic Plan IV. Over the past decade, the Government of Tanzania (GOT), in collaboration with maternal health stakeholders, has made significant strides in reducing avoidable maternal deaths—including improving access to and quality of comprehensive postabortion care (cPAC) services.

In Tanzania, where abortion is only permitted to save a woman’s life, it is estimated that unsafe abortions are responsible for up to a quarter of the high number of maternal deaths (556 deaths per 100,000 live births).[1] The harmful and often lethal effects of unsafe abortion on women and girls can be significantly mitigated through cPAC—a pillar of safe motherhood services. Building on the achievements of the Chaguo la Maisha project on strengthening delivery of cPAC and contraceptive services in Tanzania, the Pamoja project aimed to support the GOT to improve cPAC accessibility and quality, with an overarching goal of reducing maternal deaths caused by unsafe abortion. In doing so, Pamoja contributed to accelerating progress toward the reproductive health objectives identified in The National Road Map/Strategic Plan, One Plan III (2021-2025) to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH+ N) in Tanzania.

[1] “Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey (TDHS-MIS) 2015-16.” Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children Tanzania Mainland, Ministry of Health Zanzibar, National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania, Office of Chief Government Statistician Zanzibar, ICF, 2016. https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-FR321-DHS-Final-Reports.cfm.