Endless health hitches at Likoma Hospital

Traditional Authority  (TIA) Mkumpha   of  Likoma  district has asked various organisations and   individuals   to   come   to the  rescue  of  the  women   in the district as they are facing numerous maternal health challenges.

Responding to a questionnaire, Mkumpha  said  there  is  need for  a  waiting  maternity   ward for expectant mothers at the Anglican Church-run  St Peter’s Health   Centre,   which   is  the only  reliable  health  facility on the island.

“I would be glad if a waiting room  can  be  built  for  women to  deliver  in  good  time.  Due to transport challenges, most women find it had to go to  the hospital when delivery time is due.

“We believe if there were a waiting room at the hospital, maternal deaths would decrease, which is what government is trying to achieve in promoting safe motherhood,” he said.

With       no     district     hospital on   the  island,   based  on   the 2018 Population and Housing Census, the church-run health centre serves a population of 14 527. Mkumpha    added   that    most development work in the area is put to a standstill  when family members  are  attending   to  an expectant woman. “For the  nation  to develop, we

need people who are energetic. If a woman has not been treated at the right time, there are a lot of complications,   which  keep her and other family members away from development  work,” he added. Likoma district   health   officer

David   Sibale   said   the   main challenge  haunting the maternity   facility  is  space,  as sometimes,    waiting   mothers, those  that  have  just  delivered and  others   on   Kangaroo,  are congested in a single room.

Due to its geographical position, referral cases to Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay have to use boat transport,   which  is  not  cheap, as  it  costs  between  K350 000 and K450 000 for a private boat, since there is no functional boat

ambulance. StPeter’s Health Centre serves as  a  referral   for   Chizumulu and other nearby areas from Mozambique and it registers between 40 and 50 deliveries every month while Chizumulu Health    Centre    registers between  10  and  16  deliveries a month.

In its continued bid to improve safe  motherhood in  the country, Nation Publications Limited (NPL) will, this year, take  its  yearly  Mother’s  Fun Run (MFR) initiative, which seeks   to  raise   K300  million, to Likoma and Ntcheu main hospitals and their  satellite centres.

For the  women  who  have suffered  and are still  suffering the   harsh   conditions  in   the two districts, the coming  in of MFR to their aid will, to some extent,  lessen some of their challenges.

On    June  29,  11 women from Lilongwe and Blantyre witnessed  the   pains   and agonies mothers of Likoma succumb  to.

The women included Reverend Towera    Masiku     of     World Alive Ministries International; Tiwonge Nyirenda, an instructor in electrical installations and electronics     at     Don     Bosco Youth Technical  Institute; Grace Mwanza the church administrator   for   Church   of Central    Africa   Presbyterian’s

St  Michael  and  All Angels  in Blantyre, Maria Bauleni, Zione Yapu, Laika Mlozi, Alinafe Mphonde, Josephine Masano, Phylace Nyirenda, Florence Kamfose    And    Wongani Kaunda from Standard  Bank in Lilongwe.

The sight of an incubator, which has been down for almost 25 years now, made the Sleepover Challenge participants to shed tears as it means some neonatal deaths  could  have  been prevented    had    the    machine been working.

“Our lacking of an incubator risks a lot of premature born babies as despite  relying on the kangaroo   mother   care,   there are times when an incubator is the only choice and we end up losing babies,”  said Sibale.

NPL   marketing   manager Albert   Banda   said   the Sleepover    Challenge    is   one way  of  letting   people   know the tough situations hospitals benefitting  in  the  next  MFR are  facing  and  it  gives  room for other  women to experience what their fellow women are experiencing.

He, however, said by joining hands with companies and organisations, they  can improve the environment in which  people  access  health care. St     Peter’s     Health     Centre lacks   items    such    as   ultra- sound machines, oxygen concentrators,    theatre equipment   and   sterilisers, which have made it hard for Likoma women to have a decent treatment  at the hospital.

Since 2005, NPL has been implementing  the  MFR initiative, which aims at improving    safe    motherhood in public hospitals across the country.