Tanzania: Critical Care Reforms Cut Hospital Deaths By 31pc
Dar es Salaam — TANZANIA has recorded a 31 per cent reduction in inpatient hospital deaths following the rollout of the Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) programme across 79 health facilities in five mainland regions and Zanzibar.
According to the latest report by the Essential Emergency and Critical Care in Tanzania (EECCiT), mortality rates declined from 116 to 81 deaths per 10,000 patients following the implementation of the programme.
The report also shows that EECC coverage increased significantly from 27 to 75 per cent, while health worker knowledge more than doubled, rising from 31 to 67 per cent. EECCiT is a government-led initiative aimed at operationalising national critical care strategies.
During the 2024/25 implementation period, the programme was supported by UNICEF and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), with funding from Global Affairs Canada through the CanGive initiative.
The initiative involved curriculum reviews, health facility assessments, co-creation of intervention packages and the implementation of critical care improvements in participating facilities.
Key interventions included training health workers in EECC, strengthening the capacity of health system leaders and managers, introducing clinical tools and job aids, appointing EECC focal persons in health facilities and improving the availability of essential equipment and medical supplies.
According to the report, more than 1,000 health workers and 200 health system leaders were trained, while EECC tools were distributed across participating facilities.
The report further notes that scaling up EECC globally has the potential to save more than one million lives annually, with Tanzania now serving as a proof of concept for the approach.
Speaking on the programme’s impact, Katavi Regional Medical Officer Dr Jonathan Budenu said health professionals have witnessed a remarkable decline in maternal deaths since the initiative was introduced.
“There has been a significant reduction in maternal deaths since EECC implementation began. There has also been a marked decrease in referrals, and we have recorded only one maternal death at the district hospital and none in the entire district council. This has never happened before,” he said.
The study also highlighted the burden of critical illness, revealing that approximately 12.5 per cent of adult hospital inpatients are critically ill, equivalent to one in every eight admitted patients.
Globally, more than 45 million people become critically ill each year. Critical illness affects one in eight hospital inpatients and one in ten patients presenting at emergency departments.
According to the African Critical Illness Outcome Study (AICOS), conducted in about 22 African countries, including Tanzania, the mortality rate among critically ill patients stood at 21 per cent, compared to 2.7 per cent among non-critically ill patients within seven days.
The findings showed that most critically ill patients are treated in general wards rather than intensive care units (ICUs), where mortality rates range between 18 and 28 per cent. Many of these deaths, the study noted, are preventable through timely and effective emergency and critical care interventions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) have prioritised strengthening essential emergency and critical care under the proposed 2026/27 health sector strategic priorities.
The government, in collaboration with development partners, also plans to accelerate health sector reforms, expand community-based service delivery and strengthen emergency preparedness and response across all levels of the health system.
By Daily News.
