adminThe move will definitely reduce drastically the number of women dying while giving birth as well as that of babies. Zimbabwe like many developing countries, was recording high maternal deaths because many expectant mothers were giving birth at home because they could not afford maternity fees. An increasing number of babies were also dying soon after birth.
Pregnant women were failing to access antenatal care services because they could not afford maternity user fees.
According to a story we carried on Saturday, maternity fees have been scrapped with effect from yesterday. This means that expectant mothers are no longer required to pay maternity fees at all health institutions. This covers government hospitals and clinics as well as council clinics throughout the country.
Government has at last responded positively to cries by women’s organisations as well as women legislators who have been pushing for the scrapping of maternity fees for a long time.
The issue of maternity fees was causing a lot of suffering to women. Many women have been detained especially at central hospitals after failing to raise money for maternity fees. These women instead of celebrating giving birth, ended up being humiliated by hospital authorities that detained them.
Some of the women were forced to resort to cunning ways of beating the system such as sneaking out of the hospital.
Government, we want to believe, has mobilised adequate resources to meet the costs of providing this free service which we feel is very essential.
There is need for the Government and the local authorities to ensure that the services offered by clinics and hospitals are of very high standards despite the fact that maternity services will be free.
We have said it before that provision of social services such as health care services cannot be the responsibility of Government and councils alone. There is need for the private sector as well as non-governmental organisations to complement Government and local authorities efforts to provide health care services.
What is pleasing is that the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare is already working with several partners in providing health services. This is as it should be. We have a number of organisations that are providing the essential drugs, equipment, vehicles and health personnel. The Ministry of Health has been able to handle outbreaks of diseases such as cholera because of its many partners that have been able to come in to assist. Now that the maternity fees have been scrapped, there is no excuse for giving birth at home.
Many women have been dying while giving birth at home because community midwives cannot handle certain complications.
The challenge to the communities, the Government and families is to encourage pregnant women to seek antenatal care services and give birth at health institutions and not at home.
There are some apostolic religious sects that do not allow members including pregnant women, to seek treatment at health institutions and it’s time such sects are educated on the importance of seeking antenatal care services.
What is encouraging is that some members of these sects now realise the importance of seeking treatment at health institutions as evidenced by the increasing number of sect members who brought their children for immunisation during the just- ended National immunisation week. Women who play a very critical role in procreation should not be allowed to continue putting their lives at risk by giving birth at home.
It should be the duty of each and every Zimbabwean to encourage pregnant women to seek antenatal care services which are now free. Community leaders such as councillors, village heads, chiefs and other such leaders should take it upon themselves to ensure their communities are aware of the free maternity services so that they can benefit.
Online Reporter