On February 1, 2017, a kickoff ceremony was held for the mobile healthcare field clinic services to be provided in Kilombero District, Tanzania.
As part of its initiatives for contributing to improved access to healthcare, Daiichi Sankyo has operated mobile healthcare field clinics for five years since 2011 in the Kisarawe District, an area of Tanzania with limited healthcare access and high infant and maternal mortality rates. The project has helped improve the immunization rate among infants under one year of age from 75% to 91% and the rate of pregnant women that received prenatal checkups from 34% to 71%.
As issues still persist in certain areas of Tanzania, Daiichi Sankyo has decided to continue this project, selecting Kilombero District as the new region to be provided with mobile healthcare field clinic services.
The project will aid in the accomplishment of "Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages" of the Sustainable Development Goals, and will be advanced in cooperation with [international non-governmental organization Plan International.
The kickoff ceremony was held in a village that is one of the areas targeted by this project, which was located roughly 420 km south west of Dar es Salaam. The drive took over 10 hours one-way in a 4WD vehicle.
Approximately 200 individuals attended the ceremony, including the district commissioner, members of the district council, the district executive director, the district medical officer, mothers, children, and other local residents; and members of the staff of Plan International.
It rained on the day of the ceremony, meaning that we had to make our way through deep mud.
Speech by Daiichi Sankyo Representative
In his speech, a representative from Daiichi Sankyo stated that " By providing mobile healthcare field clinic services, we hope to contribute to better health for people in areas that previously lacked sufficient access to healthcare."
Speech by District Commissioner
The district commissioner described his goal by explaining that "We aim to increase the immunization rate to the level targeted by the national government."
Event
Skits were performed to provide education about vaccinations and offer mother and child healthcare guidance from healthcare professionals.
Interview with Local Resident
A mother with a six-month-old child explained her experience by saying that "I previously had to travel three hours by bicycle to receive prenatal checkups. When the mobile healthcare field clinics came, however, I only had to travel one hour to get vaccinations for my child."
In conjunction with the mobile healthcare field clinic project, the community constructed a simple facility for providing health checkups to expecting and nursing mothers and offering education to local residents, all without any support for the district government or non-governmental organizations. These efforts were commended by the district government as a prime example of superior initiatives.
The community constructed a simple healthcare facility.
This facility serves as a site at which healthcare professionals can provide guidance regarding the importance of vaccinations, nutrition, and family planning while also offering vaccinations.
In addition to the project in Tanzania, Daiichi Sankyo is providing training to healthcare professionals and offering health and hygiene education to local residents in the Yunnan province of China while also advancing R&D ventures related to global health. Through these efforts, we hope to continue contributing to improved access to healthcare in developing countries as a pharmaceutical company with global business operations.
Photograph provided by Plan International Japan