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.