Communities demand opening of Makata maternity wing
Communities from Traditional Authority (T/A) Makata in Blantyre have vowed to pressurise authorities to open a maternity wing at Makata health centre, seven years after the contractor handed it over to government.
Speaking during an interface meeting between communities and Blantyre district health officials, organized by A Self Help Assistance Program (Asap) today, Group Village headman Chilipa said the absence of the wing forces expectant mothers deliver at Mlambe Mission hospital.
“Mlambe Hospital is ten kilometers away from this place. Even though we have by-laws that allow us to punish mothers who deliver at home we have cases of emergencies and women are forced to deliver while on their way to the hospital,” he said.
Blantyre District Health Officer Medson Matchaya advised community members to engage their Member of Parliament (Blantyre Rural East) Susan Ndalama and the District Council on the matter.
Said Matchaya: “The wing has no enough bathrooms and toilets, the plumbing system, the floor and the sealing needs revisiting, I believe if we join hands we can fix this.
“Currently, what we can do is provide the facility with an ambulance to ease mobility challenges.”
Asap, the organisation that organised the meeting, promotes and mobilises community participation in development.
