Tanzania, 9-12 October 2017: Every year, the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGEC) in collaboration with President’s Office, Regional Authorities and Local Government (PORALG) and partners conducts Joint Annual Health Sector Reviews (JAHSR) to assess the performance of the health sector. This is normally preceded by joint field visits by the government and partners as a process which provides an opportunity for stakeholders in the health sector at the national level to interact directly with regional, district and facility level implementers and community members.

This interactive exercise promotes mutual learning, enhances understanding of the sector operational realities and promotes the process of supportive supervision. The joint field visits also provide an opportunity for a reality check and the building of real-time evidence to stimulate and guide discussions during technical and policy review meetings of the JAHSR.

The focus area for this year’s joint field visits was Continuum of Care for Reproductive and Maternal Health and the selected sites for the visits were Singida, Tanga and Rukwa regions. WHO joined the teams in Tanga and Singida. The purpose of this year’s field visit was to get a deeper insight into the reasons why maternal mortality is increasing in Tanzania and generate recommendations on how to improve maternal health.

The field teams visited the Regional Health Management Teams (RHMT), Council Health Management Teams (CHMT), health facilities including district hospitals, health centres and dispensaries, and interviewed community members as well. After the visits to the health facilities, the group conducted feedback meetings to the District Executive Director and CHMT, and the Regional Health Management Team.

The teams are now consolidating findings from each of the Regions in order to propose concrete short-term and long-term recommendations to be discussed at the JAHSR.