Malawi’s JB opens maternal waiting home

Malawi President Joyce Banda has said her government considers infrastructure and human development as one of the primary elements to realise effective health service delivery.

Banda said this in the southern Malawi district of Mulanje on Thursday when she opened a maternal waiting home at Mulanje District Hospital. The home has been built by Standard Bank.

The President said while the number of women delivering at health facilities is increasing, there is a challenge of accommodation, which forces the women to be in congested rooms at the facilities.

“I consider facilities such as maternity waiting homes as one of the immediate responses towards the reduction of high maternal mortality rate in the country,” said Banda.

Standard Bank board chairperson Alex Chitsime said the bank has taken up safe motherhood as its major corporate social investment in the country.

Chitsime said it is against the background of shocking statistics of higher maternal deaths in the country that the bank has chosen to partner government and the President in efforts to provide safe motherhood facilities and service coverage across the country.

The maternal waiting home, which has four bays, each with eight beds, has cost Standard bank K19 million (about $63 333).