Amref Health Africa tips Malawi on maternal health
Amref Health Africa says Malawi needs to counter the challenge of lack of access to proper health care among expectant mothers if the fight against maternal, newborn and child mortality is to be won.
Young Samanyika, acting head of Amref Health Africa—Malawi Office said this in Mwanza at the launch of two projects aimed at improving maternal health and reducing child mortality and eliminating trachoma in seven districts of the country.
With financial support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, the two projects; Canada Africa Initiative to Address Maternal, Newborn and Child Mortality and Trachoma Elimination through Facial Cleanliness and Environmental Improvements will be implemented in Mwanza, Neno, Chikwawa, Ntchisi, Lilongwe, Mangochi, and Nsanje.
Samanyika said a lot of expectant mothers have limited access to skilled health care workers during pregnancy and delivery a situation which has led to death or complications such as fistula.
In Malawi, under-five mortality rate is estimated at 71 out of every 1 000 live births, neonatal mortality rate is 24 out of 1000 live births while maternal mortality ratio is estimated at 460 per 100 000 live births.
Said Samanyika:“The organisation will work with communities to increase information about health facility use for antenatal care, and empower women and men to seek and receive quality maternal, newborn and child health services to avert the situation.
On fighting trachoma, he expressed sadness over the high rate of trachoma cases revealing that an estimated 8.2 million people in Malawi are living in trachoma endemic areas in which, without treatment, would have led to blindness.
On his part, Mwanza district commissioner Jack Ngulube concurred with Samanyika saying it is high time the country’s Water Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) projects widen focus from hand washing as the main intervention in hygiene promotion to include preventing measures for eye infections such as trachoma.
He thanked Amref Health Africa for the projects, which he said will benefit over a million people in the seven districts. n
