adminRumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
MOUNT Selinda Hospital in Chipinge is seeking funding to build a modern mothers’ waiting home and provide decent accommodation for expecting mothers in the area.
The hospital houses expecting mothers in old huts, which accommodate at least seven at any given time.
The huts provide little comfort to the mothers as they were built decades ago and are in need of refurbishment.
Mt Selinda Hospital acting matron Sherry Chikwenje recently said the hospital had built a model house equipped with beds and other necessities to make the mothers’ stay more comfortable, but needed to build more.
“We normally have 130 or more women in the waiting home at any given time,’ she said. “But the hospital caters for a very large population within Chipinge and beyond our borders in Mozambique, so the huts we have are usually over crowded.
“We have so far built one model house that we hope will house at least 10 women and we want to build more of these permanent structures and do away with the huts we are currently using.”
Women in rural Zimbabwe are usually at risk of dying due to child birth complications, as most of them do not live close to hospitals or cannot afford the fees.
Maternal waiting homes provide a safe, comfortable place for women to rest before giving birth, pre-natal care that makes it possible for any conditions to be detected and treated early as well as access to emergency medical assistance.
Communities that have built maternal waiting homes report fewer deaths of mothers and babies from complications and lack of medical care.
Matron Chikwenje said since the establishment of the mothers’ waiting home, the hospital had reduced the infant mortality rate as well as the number of maternal deaths in the area.
“This year, we have had zero still births and no maternal deaths,” she said. “We believe if we continue providing these services to the women, we can ensure that no woman in Chipinge dies while giving birth. It is our wish to provide safe delivery for mothers in the surrounding communities.
“The expansion of the waiting home will help expecting mothers rest comfortably and when they go into labour they can be transferred to the hospital for safe delivery.”
Most mothers’ waiting shelters in Zimbabwean hospitals and clinics provide food, but it is never enough to satisfy the pregnant mothers, as sometimes the supplies run out and the women are required to provide for themselves.
Online Reporter