Tanzania’s largest neonatal care facility has opened in the Kwimba District of the Mwanza region, with the capacity to save an estimated 1,300 prematurely born babies each year. The modern facility expands access to specialised newborn services in rural areas.
The Kwimba Neonatal Care Unit (NCU), constructed by the Doris Mollel Foundation, is the biggest of its kind in the country and the first purpose-built, patient-centred neonatal facility in rural Tanzania, according to the foundation.
Launching the unit, the World Health Organisation Regional Director for Africa, Prof Mohamed Janabi, said the project demonstrates how decentralised infrastructure can extend life-saving care beyond major urban centres.
“Kwimba is the answer to a question we have asked for too long: how do we reach the unreachable? Not with grand policy alone, but with district-level infrastructure that puts care where the mothers are,” he said.
“This facility is a blueprint for every rural community across Africa still waiting for its first neonatal intensive care unit,” he said.
The Kwimba NCU features 15 specialised neonatal beds fitted with incubators and warming equipment, Kangaroo Mother Care suites allowing mothers to remain with their babies, a dedicated breastfeeding and nutrition support centre, and on-site training facilities for community health workers.
To ensure uninterrupted service, the unit is powered by a solar-backed electricity system to cushion against grid outages.
The project was delivered through cooperation between the government of Tanzania and the Doris Mollel Foundation.