Chitipa to get maternity wing
Peach Tree will construct a four-storey maternity wing at Chitipa District Hospital.
The US-based charity is working with a local non-governmental organisation, Tuwepoka Development Initiative (TDI), to create a conducive space for pregnant women.
The boost comes barely two weeks after the district received an award in recognition of excellent service delivery to reduce maternal deaths and diseases resulting from poor sanitation.
In an interview, Chitipa district commissioner Grace Chirwa said the financiers are finalising some formalities with the Ministry of Health.
The maternity wing will reduce congestion at the hospital.
“The hospital was last rehabilitated when population was still low. The new structure will cater for a large number of pregnant women,” Chirwa said.
According to Chitipa district health officer Ted Bandawe, up to 60 women a month give birth at the hospital whose maternity ward has 15 beds.
Peach Tree, which was founded in 2011 by two mothers with personal experience of prenatal mental illness, strives to minimise the impact of the condition. n
