Tanzanian women ‘fined for giving birth at home’

Pregnant women in northwest Tanzania who do not give birth in health facilities are being fined between $9 (£7) and $22 (£17), privately-owned newspaper The Citizen reports.

The paper says the women are forced to pay the fine when they visit medical centres for other services like vaccination for their children in Kibondo district in Tanzania’s Kigoma region.

“Our wives are fined between Sh20,000 ($9) and Sh50,000 ($22) when visiting dispensaries for other services after giving birth at home. This is unacceptable,” Nicolaus Sabuni, a resident of Kibondo, is quoted as saying.

The Citizen says Kibondo district acting chief medical officer Innocent Sunamie said he had ordered officials to stop fining women or face action.

Source : BBC