Tanzania adapted and implemented the WHO-recommended FANC model soon after the guidelines were released in 2002. FANC shifted the focus of ANC from a “risk approach,” which targeted women based on risk factors, to an individualized, targeted approach, which aims to detect complications as they arise.
Tanzania’s FANC model includes four ANC visits: one before 16 weeks, if possible; at 20-24 weeks; at 28-32 weeks; and at 36 weeks of gestation. When the model was implemented, the government hosted trainings on the new guidelines at the district, regional and national levels. Providers in Tanzania were trained on the importance of health promotion, individualized counseling, targeted assessments, and evidence-based interventions. While maternal mortality has declined in recent years and access to ANC has increased, more research is needed to establish the role the FANC model has played in these trends.