Locals accuse Politicians of contributing to maternal complications

By Chikondi Chikabadwa 

Lack of political  will on maternal health matters has been described as  major cause of maternal related problems in the Malawi’s northern border, Karonga district, a development that has forced community members to summon their parliamentary candidates in the forthcoming elections to express their commitment towards addressing high maternal deaths and other complications.

  

Among the issues the electorates are demanding their national assembly representatives to explain how they would advocate for more funding for the health sector and their personal commitment towards addressing major issues contributing to the said problem.

According the District Chief Nursing Officer Emily Gondwe, most of the maternal deaths happening in the district are due to lack of maternal health facilities, personnel and equipment, and most parliamentarians for the district appear to be silent on the development hence the community members want to hear their commitment towards the matter and vote for the candidate meeting their needs on maternal issues.

Senior Chief Wasambo of Karonga

“Most women walk long distances to access antenatal services hence most deliver at home or enroot to Chilumba Rural Hospital  because there are no such services at health facilities within their areas due to lack of structures such as maternal wings”, Gondwe saidduring  public debates for the aspiring candidates for Karonga South, and Karonga Nyungwe constitutes.

The debates were supported by the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS) which is implementing the Enhanced Community Based maternal and Neonatal health project in areas of Senior Chief Wasambo and Mwirang’ombe in the district with funding from Christian Aid under the Scottish government.

However, the community members believe such problems would beeasilyaddressed if their Members of Parliament would support them with construction of maternity wings in all health facilities in the district and ensure that the facilities are always fully equipped with necessity medical equipment.

“We have been contributing low materials for constructing such facilities such as sand and bricks but we have been lacking commitmentfrom our Parliamentarians such as financial support hence women are suffering in silence”, said Senior Chief Wasambo during the debate held at Hangalawe in Chilumba, Karonga.

However, five of the six candidates contesting in Karonga South did not attend the debate except incumbent Parliamentarian, Glad Chembe Munthali of the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

This did not please the members who later felt the absentees were lacking commitment on maternal health issues affecting the citizens hence their failure to attend the debate.

“We wanted the community members to hear themselves their contesting candidate’s commitment towards improving maternal health issues affecting the people so that the electorates vote for a candidate who meet their demands, and it is unfortunate that some aspirants have failed to attend it for their own reasons,” complained FOCUS Executive Director, Cossam Munthali.

JONEHA urges Malawi journalists to broaden HIV/AIDS coverage

By our reporter

Malawi Media has been urged to regard HIV and AIDS reporting as a priority to ensure that more people understand effects of the pandemic and contribute positively towards the pandemic national response.

The development comes as the country continues to register a high HIV infection which according to authorities is highly affecting development of the nation.

For instance, Malawi with a population of about 15 000 000is registering more than 56 000 new HIV infections every year according to the country’s National Aids Commission, and government is spending Millions of US dollars for treatment of the infections.

“The country is spending a lot of money for HIV and Aids, which would have been saved for other developmental projects such as building schools, health facilities and improve water and sanitation if we had stopped registering new infections,” country’s Top notch HIV Media Activist David Kamkwamba said.

He was speaking during an HIV and Aids media training organized by the Network for Journalists Living with HIV and AIDS (JONEHA), to enhance HIV reporting skills for journalists in Mzuzu City, funded by the National Aids Commission.

“It is therefore the role of the media to change many people’s perception that the pandemic is not an issue or does not exist in Malawi, by widening your [media] coverage on HIV to make people understand its impact on their lives, and help towards the national response,” he added.

The activist who is also Executive Director for JONEHA urged the media practitioners to know their HIV status to be part of the society and effectively contribute towards advocating for HIV and AIDS work policy in various media houses, and improve coverage on HIV.

On their part media houses attended the training including Capital Radio Malawi, Usiska Community Radio, Voice of Livingstonia, Mzimba Community Radio and Malawi Broadcasting Station challenged to broaden their coverage on HIV by engaging the grass roots, and advocate for more funding from the National Annual Budget for procuring HIV prevention resources such as testing kits and condoms.

Chiefs from Karonga in promotion of safe motherhood through by laws

Our reporter

Traditional leaders from areas of senior chief Wasambo and Traditional Authority Mwilang’ombe in Karonga district have established by laws that will see all pregnant women who fail to deliver their babies at the hospitals getting fined.

The bylaws which are set for launching mid April according to Traditional Authority Mwilang’ombe will demand any woman who fails to deliver at the hospital to pay either a cow or a goat as a fine for breaking the rules.

T/A Mwilang’ombe in Karonga

According to Traditional Authority Mwilang’ombe this is part of enhancing community based maternal neonatal and childhood health Project being implemented by Karonga based Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS) in the two areas.

The chief revealed that most of the maternal deaths have been occurring in the district following the deliveries that were taking place in the villages.

“In my area two pregnant women have died recently due to such circumstances and it so sad to us because we are loosing mothers who could have been saved from the deaths,” he said.

Mwilang’ombe added that the bylaws are also encouraging men participating in maternal health issues and they are encouraged to escort their expectant wives to the hospital for delivery.

“The bylaws have been made with assistance from the court magistrate, leaders from Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS) and other Traditional leaders from the district,” he said.

The traditional leader has therefore requested nongovernmental organizations to support the bylaws so that they become sustainable.

“We ever created by laws to discourage  young girls from getting married and  ensuring that their parents send them to school but unfortunately these by laws met a lot of obstacles and we were not successful but now we are optimistic that it will work,” he explained.

Senior Chief Wasambo also stressed that a lot of women from his area believed in traditional doctors as the right people to assist in giving birth of their babies.

Chief Wasambo testified that there were also other churches that were denying their members from delivering at the hospitals.

He mentioned that fortunately all this is gradually changing and a lot of people have now trust in the hospitals.

He pointed out that it is wise for a chief to have issues of safe motherhood at heart because women highly contribute to the community's development.

The project which was launched by FOCUS last year is geared at reducing maternal related complications in the two areas and it is expected to phase out next year.

According to the Project Coordinator Wakisa Sichali, the project has already seen the reduction of maternal deaths from eighteen in 2012 to sixteen in 2013.