An acute shortage of qualified nurses was undermining efforts to combat malaria, a major health problem in the country, a senior official said on Wednesday.
There were 10,670 serving nurses in Tanzania against a demand for more than 30,000, Alex Mwita, programme manager of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), said.
"Malaria is still the leading killer of children. With a lack of sufficient nurses, treatment of malaria has become an even bigger problem," said Mwita.
According to the Ministry of Health, at least two million people, 70 percent of them pregnant women and children under the age of five, die of malaria in Tanzania every year.
Mwita confirmed that a new and more effective malaria treatment would be launched next month. The treatment, combination Artemether-Lumefantrine drug, has been on the market for about five years.
He said the drug would be free to children in public health centres, hospitals owned by religious institutions, and voluntary health centres.
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There were 10,670 serving nurses in Tanzania against a demand for more than 30,000, Alex Mwita, programme manager of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), said.
"Malaria is still the leading killer of children. With a lack of sufficient nurses, treatment of malaria has become an even bigger problem," said Mwita.
According to the Ministry of Health, at least two million people, 70 percent of them pregnant women and children under the age of five, die of malaria in Tanzania every year.
Mwita confirmed that a new and more effective malaria treatment would be launched next month. The treatment, combination Artemether-Lumefantrine drug, has been on the market for about five years.
He said the drug would be free to children in public health centres, hospitals owned by religious institutions, and voluntary health centres.
jk/jn/mw
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