Malawi tipped on maternal health

Long distances and shortage of staff have been blamed as major factors suffocating government efforts to promote safe motherhood and child health in the rural parts of Mzimba.

Group Village Head Loti Chisambi of Traditional Authority M’mbelwa in Mzimba noted in an interview on Monday that although government has made strides in providing civic education on the importance of antenatal and postnatal care, very little is being done to translate the policy into reality.

Chisambi said free antenatal care is not enough as expectant women have to meet the cost of transport to get to health centres.

He said: “It is disheartening that despite efforts to promote and provide antenatal care, there has been little improvement, particularly in the low-income settings.”

He lamented that his subjects walk over 20km to antenatal and postnatal clinics at either Embangweni Hospital or Mtuzuzu and Kasichi health centres.

This is in spite of the availability of a health facility at Kapopo Trading Centre.

The health centre was constructed about four years ago, but remains underutilised because the Ministry of Health has not assigned health workers to serve at the facility.

Enala Zimba, a woman with a two-month old baby in Kamundenga Village in the area, urged government to match its policy on safe motherhood and child health with provision of antenatal clinics within walking distance.

“Otherwise, the cost of transport to get to health centres will continue hindering people,” said Zimba.

“Authorities need to always equip antenatal clinics with adequate medical equipment and human resource if the programme is to succeed,” she added.

Minister of Health Jean Kalilani said government remains committed to achieving the reduction of maternal mortality ratio by three quarters as per the UN Millennium Development Goal 5.

“As such, we are open to listen to public views on how we can together achieve the goal,” said Kalilani.