Do more on maternal health—Lunguzi

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Juliana Lunguzi has asked the private sector to do more on maternal and child health in the country.

Lunguzi said this on Saturday in Mangochi where Nation Publications Limited (NPL) and its partners organised the 2014 Mother’s Day Fun Run to raise funds for Mangochi District Hospital and its satellite health facilities.

She said high maternal and child death rates in the country are not as a result of the failure of the health sector, but lack of information, poor family planning education and the country’s failure to keep the girl child in school.

“The private sector should ensure that their workforce—who are fathers and mothers—are given enough information on family planning right at the workplace where they spend most of the time,” said Lunguzi who was the guest of honour at the fun run.

She also asked the private sector to remunerate their employees well so that they afford the basics.

“Accord a healthy work life balance so that workers spend enough time with their spouses and children,” said Lunguzi who is also member of Parliament (MP) for Dedza East.

With planned families, she said the quality of life will improve as incidence of diseases will be reduced.

“With a healthy work life balance, families will spend more time together, resulting in family cohesion, healthier lifestyles and less juvenile delinquency as a result of youth left to their own devices,” said Lunguzi, a nurse and midwife herself.

The fun run is one of NPL’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects whose aim is to raise funds for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment for maternity wings of facilities in the country.