Let’s hear it for Tanzania. Despite being one of the world’s poorest nations, it has become a role model in how to reach global targets for reducing death rates of children and mothers – putting most of its poor African neighbours to shame. So says the World Health Organization.

Reports released last week in The Lancet (vol 371, p 1276) and this week at a summit in Cape Town, South Africa, show that of the 68 nations that account for 97 per cent of the world’s childhood and maternal deaths, only 16 are on track to meet Millennium Development Goals …