Epidural offers women pain relief during childbirth
Tanzanian hospitals, including Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, have introduced epidural analgesia to help women manage pain during childbirth. Specialists emphasize that the procedure is safe and allows for a normal labor process while blocking pain signals.
Why it matters
The availability of this service represents a significant advancement in maternal healthcare access and pain management options in the region.
Dar es Salaam. Pregnant women in Tanzania can now access epidural labour analgesia, a pain-management procedure that can significantly reduce the pain of contractions while allowing normal labour to continue.
The service is already available at several hospitals, including Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH), where specialists say it can help women remain comfortable while contractions and other stages of labour continue normally.
Speaking to this paper on Monday, September 7, 2026, BMH specialist anaesthetist Dr Wilson Lugano said the procedure blocks pain signals from the uterus to the brain without stopping labour.
A small catheter is inserted into the epidural space in the lower back, near the nerves that carry pain signals. A controlled amount of medication is then administered continuously through the catheter until delivery. “What we do is block communication of pain between the brain and the area experiencing it. Labour continues, but the pain is stopped,” he said.
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