Based in rural northern Tanzania, FAME is a modern hospital, laboratory and outpatient clinic with more than 27,000 patient visits annually. With 52 medical staff trained in emergency obstetric and newborn care, FAME is the go-to hospital for high-risk pregnancies in our area and beyond. Help FAME purchase an ultrasound machine - a critical diagnostic tool - to provide advanced care for pregnant women and their babies through our comprehensive Prenatal Program.
Tanzania has one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally and perinatal deaths are a large portion of under-5 deaths. The majority of Tanzanian women do not seek prenatal care before the 4th month of pregnancy. Pregnant women often arrive at FAME with a limited knowledge of their health, pregnancy and gestational age; in an active state of labor; or requiring emergency obstetric care. Without an ultrasound machine, our medical team can't make the quick, accurate diagnoses needed.
An ultrasound machine dedicated to reproductive & child health will allow our medical team to obtain accurate diagnostic imaging for pregnant women and babies, from fetal well-being and heart activity to gestational age and imaging for delivery assistance. Additionally, an ultrasound will enable our team to determine early on whether a woman is high-risk or experiencing complications - and devise life-saving solutions that can contribute to reducing maternal and perinatal mortality in our area.
New enrollees to FAME's Prenatal Program have increased on average by 65.6% annually since 2015, the first full-year of the program. An ultrasound machine will help us provide advanced obstetric care to more than 1,000 expecting and new mothers in 2019 - and many more well into the future, as we expand our Prenatal Program through community outreach and continue to raise awareness about the life-saving benefits of prenatal care.
