The exciting world of data for decision-making

Improved data for decision-making is one of the Mama Ye! team’s key aims. Sounds a bit dull, doesn’t it? All those statistics and data and numbers.But it absolutely isn’t dull. Behind every one of those numbers are things - things that mean something important.Numbers which help us make important decisions like which facility to deliver a baby. Or plan which districts need more money to get the clinics in a fit state for our mothers and babies. And even help us hold our government to account if maternal and newborn survival is not improving.So we have been pouring over all the detail in the recently released Service Availability and Readiness Survey - known as SARA – as produced by our good friends the Ifakara Health Institute.Service availability means access to services – what services are available? How many facilities, how many beds, how many healthcare workers?Service readiness means are they capable of delivering the services they offer to a good enough standard. Do they have 24 hour electricity and water, essential medicines and are staff appropriately trained?It can tell us about inequalities – so if women who live in rural areas are not as well served as those who live in our cities or a particular region needs more support in managing its healthcare.1,297 health facilities from 27 districts from all over Tanzania were surveyed over the course of 2012. It takes a long time to gather this information, check it all through and analyse it, but it’s worth doing as there is so much to learn from it.We will be working hard to look at what the SARA tells us, but headlines are:

• Antenatal care was generally good – it was available in 85% of facilities, although only 58% were capable of delivering it effectively. Child and adolescent health services and those for communicable diseases were also mostly positive.
• Infection prevention is a serious problem. Around half of health centres and dispensaries did not have soap and water and hospitals were not much better at 44%. Sepsis – infection – is a leading cause of death in pregnancy and childbirth in Tanzania and we must do better at preventing it.
• Only 53% of facilities are able to provide basic obstetric and newborn care, so if you go to a facility, it is as likely as not that you find yourself in one which is equipped, staffed and stocked adequately to look after you during childbirth.

This is the first SARA for Tanzania, so this is the first time we can see how we are doing in some of these vital health services. It’s also run along with the World Health Organization so we can compare how we are doing with our neighbours and other countries to learn from them. The Government will now disseminate this throughout Tanzania and help our managers use its data to improve our health services. Join us if you want to help spread the word…