Communities demand maternity wings
Mpata and Kasoba health centre management committees have bemoaned the delay to construct maternity wings at the two facilities in Karonga District.
They expressed the sentiments on Tuesday at Baka during a health governance training organised by Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) to empower communities on health rights.
Mpata Health Centre Management Committee chairperson Vyalema Mhango said the training empowered them to demand improved health service delivery.
He said: “We want authorities to resume a maternity wing project abandoned in 2013.
“Currently, anti retroviral therapy treatment and maternity services take place in one room which violates patients’ privacy.”
His counterpart Mathews Mwamsamali said since the closure of a maternity wing at Kasoba Health Centre by Medical Council of Malawi in 2020, pregnant women travel to Karonga District Hospital for delivery.
He said community members moulded bricks and collected riversand for the construction of a maternity wing.
“However, there is no word from duty-bearers as to when construction works will begin,” said Mwamsamali.
Karonga District Health Office administrator Clement Gonthi commended Kasoba community members for mobilising resources for the project.
He said: “Our role is to provide standard plan, which we did and we are also waiting for the completion of the project.
“As for Mpata, that project is at ministry level. However, the latest information is that a new facility will be built.”
On her part, CHRR project coordinator Modester Ramondi said they wanted to empower community leaders to monitor drugs and service delivery in health centres.
With funding from Oxfam in Malawi, CHRR is implementing a health governance project in six health centres in Paramount Chief Kyungu in the district.
