Hope despite the grim in womens deaths

Zimbabwe along with international organisations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organisation say that the death rate of pregnant women is increasing, worrying and unnecessary.

Concerned about the high death rates of women who die while giving birth, the government along with the supporting partners launched the Health Sector Investment Case that seeks to raise US$700 million dollars over the next three years. This is to ensure that the country meets the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on women and children by year 2015.

For young mothers like Moillar Chinyani and Privilege Chasara, who are both expecting mothers, there is a ray of hope though. The international community has taken heed of the governments appeal.

Last week the Japanese government handed about US$2 million worth of maternal equipment at Murewa General Hospital to the Inclusive Government of Zimbabwe that will go a long way in improving the quality of health delivery in the country.

Chinyani lives over 40 km from Murewa General Hospital. Last week she was excited that she had managed to reach Murewa Maternal Waiting Home.

She was happy because she would benefit from donations made to the hospital by Japan. She now had better chances of surviving during delivery of her baby. She was highly unlikely to die due to hypertension or bleeding, which were among major killer complications for pregnant women.

I live about 20km away (from Murewa General Hospital), our local clinic has no maternity ward so I decided to come here. I feel safe and I cannot wait to give birth. I hope that it will be a boy.

Its every pregnant womans dream to deliver her children safely and healthy and the government was grateful that donors had come to the rescue of people like Chinyani and thousands of other pregnant women.

The midwifery equipment donated by the Japanese government will ensure safe delivery of babies. Women with adequate information on complications of pregnancy continue to die even where facilities with adequate capacity to manage them are available because they fail to reach the health centres where they can get appropriate care. In most cases the women are poor rural women who have no access to transport and communication.

However, the intervention of the government of Japan, which is upgrading maternal waiting rooms in 62 hospitals, will ensure that pregnant women like Chinyani and Chasara will have safe deliveries.

The government intended to abolish user fees at all hospitals by the year 2011 because that had been a prohibitive factor in women and children getting to health facilities as they did not have money.

Many maternal deaths are a result of three delays. First, delay in making a decision to seek care, secondly, the delay in reaching a health facility and thirdly, delay in receiving adequate care. That is why as UNICEF we particularly recognise the contribution of the Government of Japan to the Maternity Waiting Home programme, which allows pregnant women, especially those in rural areas, to stay within easy reach of a hospital or health centre towards the end of their pregnancy.

In addition to the three delays I have referred to, user fees and other financial barriers have hindered womens access to proper health care. Unable to afford the user fees of up to US$50 required for maternity registration, nearly 39% of women end up delivering at home, greatly endangering their lives and those of their new born babies, said Peter Salama UNICEFs country Representative.

The Government of Zimbabwe has committed that by the end of 2011, no pregnant woman or child under five will be deprived of their rights to health care because they cannot afford the user fees, said Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe.

Salama said that the loss of a mother while giving birth was a loss to the community.

The loss of a mother due to pregnancy is a tragedy for the family and the community as a whole. This generous donation by Japan is a very vital boost to efforts to reduce high maternal and new born deaths.