By Dayo Yussuf
Mary Marwa regards the birth of her second child as a miraculous twist of fate.
Barely 24 weeks into her pregnancy, the Tanzanian mother experienced complications that led doctors to advise an immediate abortion.
A dazed Mary listened without a word as the nursing staff explained to her that she had HELLP Syndrome, a condition characterised by haemolysis or breakdown of red blood cells, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count.
"I had no idea what it meant," she tells TRT Afrika. "The doctors wanted me to have an abortion and we did so."
But destiny had other plans. Just as a nurse was about to take away what everyone in the operating theatre thought was a dead foetus, she discovered that the male newborn was breathing.
"The nurse instantly put my baby on an oxygen machine, saving his life," recalls Mary.
While the baby's survival was a divine blessing in Mary's eyes, she had a host of challenges to contend with over at least the following year.
"My baby was born four months before he was due, while the stipulated maternity leave was a maximum of three months. I couldn't go back to work because my boy was too young and frail to leave with anyone," says Mary.
"I asked my employers if they could give me another three months without pay. They declined the request, citing the law. I had to quit my job."
Legal intervention
Thankfully for those like Mary and even new fathers, there is now legal room for extended maternal and paternal leave.
Tanzania's new labour law permits additional leave for new parents, including the period until the delivery date and then a subsequent break from work after childbirth.
"Many mothers who give birth before the medically calculated due date will now be able to fully care for their children before returning to work," explains Doris Mollel, a child healthcare activist who runs a foundation focused on advocacy and awareness about reproductive health in her native country.
A medical professionals exodus to the US, Canada, UK and a host of European countries is worsening Tanzania’s health crisis.
The legislation, awaiting President Samia Suluhu Hassan's assent, stipulates that maternity leave calculations will commence after the original due date, even if the baby is born prematurely.
Fathers will have their leave extended from three to seven days for supportive care. This extended period aims to lower the incidence of disabilities in children by allowing for timely medical assessments and interventions.
Doris, whose personal journey as someone born premature drives her passion for advocating the well-being of pre-term infants, cites an example.
"There is a mother I know who was allowed to go home when her baby weighed 1.8kg. Although she was advised to return to the hospital every week for a check-up, she couldn't because she did not have time off from work," she tells TRT Afrika.
According to the medical charity, a deadly health crisis has already gripped the African nation where conflict and displacement were forcing women to give birth in unsanitary conditions.
"After some time, the woman's child developed visual impairment. Unfortunately, she didn't have the leverage that new mothers have now. The revised labour law allows a mother time to nurture her newborn until she can return to work without worrying about her baby."
Landmark move
Tanzania remains the only East African nation that has enacted such a law, but activists are committed to expanding this initiative across the region.
"Tanzania has set an example with its maternity leave reform and we hope the East African Community can emulate this. We are working with the East African Parliament to see how this can be presented to the entire community," says Doris.
She also stresses the need for improved medical equipment and training in health centres for premature baby care.
"Our clinics still don't have the equipment necessary to care for premature babies. Not only that, caregivers and other health workers don't have the required know-how," the healthcare activist points out.
The Tanzanian government has mandated that every district-level hospital must have rooms for specialised postnatal care of pre-term babies.
