World Prematurity Day with Compassionate Support and Strengthened Neonatal Care Training

Dar es Salaam | 28 November 2025 — Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam (AKH-D) commemorated World Prematurity Day 2025 under the theme “Give Preterm Babies a Strong Start for a Hopeful Future.” The global campaign encourages health care providers to invest in specialised neonatal care, enhance maternal health services, support families of preterm infants, and ensure equitable access to lifesaving care. In honour of these calls to action, AKH-D led two initiatives that directly address each of the above priorities and reaffirm the Hospital’s commitment to improving survival and long-term outcomes for premature infants in Tanzania.

In support of families caring for preterm babies, AKH-D medical team, along with mothers who have faced similar challenges, visited Amana Regional Referral Hospital. They delivered essential supplies and provided emotional support to families, promoting Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). This outreach not only offered comfort but also reinforced maternal support systems, ensuring that all families receive quality care regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Complementing this effort, AKH-D in partnership with Aga Khan University, Amana Regional Referral Hospital, and the Paediatric Association of Tanzania, hosted a two-week on-site training for the Fundamentals of Critical Care for Small and Sick Newborns course. This initiative, available to healthcare providers from both public and private hospitals, directly supports the investment in specialised neonatal care by equipping clinicians with the skills, and confidence to manage critically ill newborns. Utilising a blended learning model, the programme enhances nationwide access to specialised expertise and strengthens maternal and newborn services through improved early detection, referral, and clinical management.

Participants will now move into a third phase involving the implementation of quality-improvement projects within their own facilities, ensuring that the benefits of the programme extend far beyond the training rooms and into real-world clinical outcomes.

These initiatives were made possible through the collaboration and leadership of Mr Sisawo Koneth, CEO of AKHST, Dr Mariam Noorani, Head of Department of Paediatrics, Dr Yasser Abdallah, Consultant Neonatologist & Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Aga Khan University, Dr. Theopista Jacob, President of the Paediatric Association of Tanzania; Dr. Bryceson Kiwelu, Medical Officer in Charge, and the entire AKH-D team, whose commitment continues to strengthen neonatal care across the country.

Through these types of compassionate engagements with families and strategic investments in healthcare worker training, Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam proudly advances global calls to ensure that every preterm baby is met with care, dignity, and the strongest possible start to life.

About Aga Khan Health Services

Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) is one of three AKDN agencies that support activities in health, alongside the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan University. Together, they provide quality health care to 14 million people annually and work closely on planning, training and resource development. AKHS also works with the Aga Khan Education Services and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat on the integration of health issues into partnered projects.

AKHS is organised into national service companies in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania and Uganda.  While strengthening its institutions and the links between them, each health service company joins government health services and other providers in building effective national health systems. AKHS and AKU manage 940 hospitals and outreach health centres.

For more information, please contact:

Geofrey Anael
PR Coordinator
Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam
📞 +255 654 540 226
📧 geofrey.anael@akhst.org