African nations pledge to enhance cooperation in tackling newborn deaths, TB

DAR ES SALAAM: AFRICAN countries have pledged to strengthen regional cooperation in tackling newborn deaths and tuberculosis by sharing proven health innovations and practical implementation experience, rather than relying solely on solutions developed outside the continent. Speaking at the opening of the Regional South-to-South Learning Landscape Analysis Workshop in Dar es Salaam, Director General of the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), Dr Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe, said Africa has developed many effective health interventions but has often failed to transfer and scale them across countries. The four-day workshop has brought together health officials from Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa to examine regional best practices.

Tanzania will learn from Kenya’s NEST360 programme to improve care for small and sick newborns, while Mozambique will draw lessons from Zambia and South Africa on cross-border tuberculosis management and point-of-care testing. Dr Kapologwe noted that Tanzania continues to face high neonatal mortality, with around 20 newborn deaths for every 1,000 live births, despite progress in reducing deaths among children under five. He said improving survival will require more than supplying medical equipment, stressing the need for trained health workers, reliable maintenance systems, steady supplies of spare parts and stronger use of health data to improve quality of care.

ALSO READ: Tanzania launches Thamini Uhai project in a move to reduce newborn deaths He also warned that tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge across Southern Africa, particularly for people who frequently cross national borders. Without coordinated referral systems and uninterrupted treatment, patients risk spreading the disease and being lost to follow-up. He called for stronger regional collaboration to ensure continuous care for mobile populations.

Dr Kapologwe said ECSA-HC expects participating countries to develop practical, time-bound action plans before the end of the workshop, with the ultimate goal of demonstrating measurable improvements by 2028. “Success should not be measured by the number of meetings held, but by healthier newborns, stronger health systems and patients receiving uninterrupted quality care,” he said. The post African nations pledge to enhance cooperation in tackling newborn deaths, TB …