admin
Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), in partnership with Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), has set up a mobile legal aid clinic on maternal health care services in Highfield.
This comes after women in Glen View and Budiriro were being denied maternal health services at council owned clinics, with the local authority attributing it to staff shortage.
Denial of access to maternal health care services at the clinics had potential to claim lives if not addressed urgently.
Pregnant women alleged that Glen View Polyclinic was no longer registering pregnant women for maternal health services while health workers at Budiriro Polyclinic were instructing them to register on the day of delivery.
Harare City Council acting spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende attributed the lack of maternal health service to shortage of nurses at council clinics.
Mr Ruwende said Covid-19 had heavily affected the provision of health services at one clinic had at one point had 100 percent of its workers infected by the pandemic.
“Most of our staff was affected by Covid-19 and could not report to work since they were in isolation. As you are aware, this is a specialised area and not every nurse can perform those duties.
“We are also struggling in numbers because our nurses are leaving for greener pastures,” he said.
Mr Ruwende said midwife capacity was at 50 percent and some were in isolation so they needed partner support in hiring locum midwives.
He said Budiriro Polyclinic had managed to book 151 mothers for their first ante-natal care (ANC) visit for the month of December and they were conducting initial ANC bookings on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Glen View Polyclinic is doing ANC bookings on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays they do subsequent visits and on Fridays they do six weeks’ post-natal examinations. For the month of December, a total of 170 mothers were booked.
“At most, day duty is being manned by one midwife and the sister-in-charge because of staff constraints. As a result, it might be that not all mothers who present for ANC bookings are taken on the particular day hence the complaints,” Mr Ruwende said.
The denial of access to maternal health services also comes at a time council resolved to close nine clinics in the city citing health personnel shortages.
Online Reporter