WAJAMAMA’s New Community Service: Women’s Express Check-Up

Starting this Saturday, July 29, WAJAMAMA will offer the new Women’s Express Check-Up service at its clinic for Tanzanian citizens. At this fifteen-minute consultation, women are screened for breast and cervical cancer and will get their blood pressure checked for signs of hypertension. The check-up is paired with a free educational seminar, where women can learn from WAJAMAMA doctors how to manage their health and well-being.

Although women recognize the importance of check-ups, they often do not have the time or financial resources to schedule an appointment. This is a problem, as the health issues Zanzibari women frequently suffer from can be prevented if they are caught early. To address these challenges head-on, WAJAMAMA is offering 15-minute express checkups that focus on the most pressing health issues among women in Zanzibar - hypertension, breast, and cervical cancer. 

To reach the local community with its Women’s Express Check-Up, WAJAMAMA is actively engaging local businesses and community-centered organizations around Zanzibar City with advertisements in Swahili. As many women are eager to learn, an educational seminar on personal health will be offered at the WAJAMAMA clinic. Besides creating a learning opportunity, this seminar lays the seeds for further engagement. By attending the clinic and seeing firsthand the care WAJAMAMA provides, these women might be more inclined to join a Group Prenatal Care cohort in the future or to visit the clinic in case they fall sick.

The Women’s Express Check-Up costs 25.000 Tanzanian Shillings (approximately $10) and therefore is not intended to generate income for the clinic. Rather, WAJAMAMA’s hybrid business model will subsidize the costs. Because WAJAMAMA is a social enterprise, proceeds from the clinic can flow directly into WAJAMAMA’s community work – like its Group Prenatal Care program, or its Nurse Midwifery Workforce Development class. This way, paying clinic clients receive high-quality healthcare, and simultaneously support the healthcare of others. Over time it is the goal that our programs can be sustainably funded from our clinical work.

WAJAMAMA’s Women’s Express Check-Up service is available on July 29, August 26, and September 30, from 9 am to 2pm, and is open to all citizens of Tanzania. 

Written & published by Sophie Hudson, WAJAMAMA Intern

Photos taken by Light Palmer