(Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA) September 30, 2024 – Medical Teams International received $3.35 million from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) to support healthcare services for refugees and their host communities in its Tanzania program. The new PRM funding, which began on August 1, 2024, will enable essential services through July 31, 2025.

The grant marks the seventh award from PRM for the Medical Teams Tanzania program, which is dedicated to professional, life-saving health assistance to refugees to bring healing and restore hope and dignity.

“This generous grant will continue to support Medical Teams to complement efforts by the Government of Tanzania and UNHCR to provide essential health services to those in need. These services include maternal, newborn, and child health, outpatient and inpatient services, referral of critical cases to secondary and tertiary hospitals, and the treatment of patients with mental health disorders and non-communicable diseases. This grant will also enable Medical Teams to procure essential medical supplies and equipment, which will aid in delivering quality healthcare services and will support our local partners when needs arise,” said Debora Niyeha, Medical Teams International Country Director for Tanzania.

In the last fiscal year, PRM grants made significant contributions to the work in Tanzania. The overall health service utilization rate, which measures the rate at which new visits are made to health facilities, was recorded at 2.75 visits per person per year across the camps. “During the same period, we recorded zero maternal deaths in our health facilities, and we provided health services 24 hours and 7 days a week. We recorded 2,668 live births supported by skilled health workers and healthy, timely rates of antenatal care bookings and visits. Further, we facilitated 255 referrals to secondary and tertiary hospitals,” said Maeva Ekoua, Medical Teams Country Support Manager.

The funding also helps to ensure quality programs, such as the availability of essential medicines at Medical Teams’ facilities and help to address medicine gaps of other organizations who also offer health services in the refugee camps. With the help of the grant, pregnant women will receive essential services including malaria prophylaxis, maternal supplementation and vaccine, nutrition counseling, and assistance by skilled health care workers during delivery. Children will receive essential immunization, health and nutrition, follow-through growth monitoring services, and other crucial preventive and curative healthcare services. Other services provided include inpatient and outpatient, family planning, TB and HIV, non-communicable disease, mental health, and nutrition services.

“We are very grateful and excited to receive this follow-on funding from PRM.  Our ongoing partnership with them through this grant we will enable us to continue to provide pregnant women with essential healthcare at our health facilities as well as provide follow-up household visits throughout their pregnancy.” said Lauren Taylor, Medical Teams Chief of Global Programs.

 About Medical Teams International

Founded in 1979, Medical Teams International provides life-saving medical care for people in crisis, such as survivors of natural disasters and refugees. We care for the whole person— physical, emotional, social and spiritual. Daring to love like Jesus, we serve all people—regardless of religion, nationality, sex or race. Learn more at medicalteams.org and on social media using @medicalteams.

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