Insufficient funds impinge on free maternal services

financial requirements from the national budget, a senior official has said.
Officially opening the Southern Africa HIV and Aids Information Dissemination Service caucus yesterday, Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the ministry was allocated US$7 million when they required US$70million in the 2011 National Budget.
“As a Ministry, we are not getting enough from the national budget and it is impossible for us to put the system in place,” he said.
“After presenting our own budget, which is a necessity to function effectively, we hand it over to the Ministry of Finance who release the funds.”
Dr Mombeshora said free services were Government expenses.
“After people are treated for free, it is our duty as Government to pay the hospitals for their services or else they would close down,” he said.
The deputy minister urged expectant mothers to visit clinics for antenatal care and reduce the number of maternal deaths and to shun abortion.
“Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest infant mortality rate and at the same time accounts for half of the developing world’s maternal deaths.
“Around 4,2 million unsafe abortions occur in Africa every year, causing 30 percent of all mater-nal deaths on the continent and taking 90 women’s lives per day,” he said.
Maternal fees range from US$50 to US$80 in council clinics and a number of women have resorted to giving birth at home.
He also said poor service in hospitals is due to a shortage in trained personnel in different sectors of health institutions.
He said nurses have to work in departments where they are not trained as consultancy.
“There is a serious shortage in trained personnel for positions such as casualty consultants and if there is no one to fill them we are forced to put nurses in their place.
“This creates gaps in other sectors where the nurses are needed, thus poor services.”
He urged patients to use the referral chain system. Patients with minor ailments should seek treatment from clinics to ease pressure at central hospitals.
The one-day meeting – whose objectives were to provide a platform for civil society to reflect, review and interrogate existing sexual and reproductive health rights – was held under the theme, “Catalysing national SRHR advocacy to the continental level”.
The meeting was attended by civil society representatives from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.