adminRumbidzayi Zinyuke recently in MUTARE
Manicaland has recorded an increase in institutional births owing to the implementation of the Results-Based Financing initiative being rolled out by the Ministry of Health and Child Care to provide free maternal care to vulnerable women.
Being funded by the Government and the World Bank, and implemented by Cordaid Zimbabwe under the health sector development support project additional financing V, the initiative has complemented the already existing Government efforts to strengthen reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, adolescent health and nutrition.
Manicaland medical director Dr Munyaradzi Mukuzunga said the initiative had strengthened health systems at the over 300 health facilities in the province.
The initiative has been instrumental in ensuring access to services for those that could not afford, in line with the thrust of leaving no place and no one behind.
“It has made sure that facilities are able to improve health delivery system. Facilities depending on their needs have done a lot of infrastructure development. Some built waiting mothers’ shelters to ensure high risk mothers stay close to the facility,” said Dr Mukuzunga.
“That has helped in reducing the number of mothers who die during pregnancy, delivery or after that. This has also made sure that survival of the child is enhanced.”
Dr Mukuzunga said the component of the initiative, which goes towards motivating health workers, has also ensured improved service delivery.
Rowa Rural Health Centre is one of the facilities that have benefitted from the programme.
The centre’s second nurse, Sister Christine Nyokanhete, said since the programme started in 2012, there has been a significant reduction in home deliveries.
“Since RBF started we have been encouraging women to book their deliveries before 12 weeks and we have seen an increase in women who came through.
“We are working with village health workers who identify pregnant women and send them to us and we help them with all the processes that need to be done including testing for HIV, syphilis and monitoring the well-being of the mother and child,” she said.
At Dora Clinic, deliveries had significantly increased between 2012 and 2019.
Acting Sister-in-Charge, Violet Chitsa, said proceeds from the RBF had been used for developments at the facility including tiling of all the floors, building a waiting mothers’ home, buying generators and a submersible water pump.
“We would even give hampers to the mothers who came in to our facility for delivery so our deliveries rose to reach about 102 in 2014,” she said.
“However, when Covid-19 came, less women were coming to the facility owing to the travel restrictions.”
Village health workers have played an integral part in ensuring that more women visit health centres.
Gogo Tabitha Karuza said she had been working as a village health worker for 36 years and had seen a positive change in the mindset of women who now preferred giving birth in health facilities.
“I witnessed many people giving birth in their homes despite our advice to go to the clinic.
“But now things have changed and we are happy that fewer women and children are dying as a result of these home deliveries,” she said.
A beneficiary of the RBF programme, Ms Praise Muhle from Bvirindi Village, said she had gone to the clinic for her first pregnancy in 2018 after hearing about it from the village health worker in her area.
“I had heard different stories about women who lost their babies when they tried giving birth at home especially with the first baby because they bled too much. Some of the women died so I was afraid of this happening to me,” she said.
Ms Muhle was referred to Sakubva District Hospital where she had a caesarean section for free.
To ensure the success of the programme, health centres are working with traditional leaders as well.
Dora Ward 5 village head Mr Phebion Matika praised the programme, which had roped in the village heads to ensure women have access to health services.
“We work very well with our clinic at Dora as traditional leaders. We complement our health workers and we encourage our pregnant mothers to visit the clinic and take their children to the clinic,” he said.
“For those that give birth at home, we have small penalties meant to deter home deliveries. This is meant to reduce the maternal death rates and infant mortality.”
Online Reporter