News / Health
Zim hospital demands livestock for maternity fees
23 Feb 2014 at 06:55hrs | Views
EXPECTANT mothers at St Paul's Hospital in Lupane are paying maternity fees with their livestock, a move which is in violation of Government's policy of free access to healthcare for pregnant and lactating mothers.
This came to light during a special Rural District Development Committee meeting in Lupane recently.
According to Sunday News, Sister Sichelesile Ncube, the acting district nursing officer in Lupane, said villagers were now giving birth at home in a bid to avoid having to part with their livestock at St Paul's Hospital.
She said there was a need to educate rural women on the importance of delivering at health institutions where the services were offered for free by professional midwives, instead of relying on traditional midwives as such practices left them prone to a number of complications, which in some cases turned fatal.
"It should be noted that baby delivering at any health institution is for free though of late we have been receiving some reports that expecting mothers living in St Paul's and surrounding areas are no longer going to St Paul's Hospital as they are made to pay for the service with chickens," she said.
Sr Ncube, who is also the district community sister, said the number of pregnant mothers delivering at home was on the increase throughout the district, a situation that could lead to a surge in maternal mortalities.
"We are receiving numerous reports of home baby deliveries in various areas in the district and as stakeholders we should be wary of such developments.
"There is a likelihood of an increase in maternal mortalities and as a country we risk failure to attain one of the Millennium Development Goals, which is to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent by 2015," Sr Ncube said.
Since March last year, expecting and new mothers along with children under five as well as adults aged over 65 years no longer pay for health services in a deal backed by the Health Transition Fund (HTF).
The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Paul Chimedza, said Government had scrapped user fees for pregnant women, hence paying with livestock was scandalous.
"We did scrap user fees and this person who is demanding livestock is being malicious. It is uncalled for and where do these chickens and goats go to once they are brought to the hospital. Someone is just being scandalous," he said.
"St Paul's benefits from the HTF which is supposed to benefit children under five years of age and all pregnant women as per policy. They may collect other fees that go to the council and not the health ministry."
This came to light during a special Rural District Development Committee meeting in Lupane recently.
According to Sunday News, Sister Sichelesile Ncube, the acting district nursing officer in Lupane, said villagers were now giving birth at home in a bid to avoid having to part with their livestock at St Paul's Hospital.
She said there was a need to educate rural women on the importance of delivering at health institutions where the services were offered for free by professional midwives, instead of relying on traditional midwives as such practices left them prone to a number of complications, which in some cases turned fatal.
"It should be noted that baby delivering at any health institution is for free though of late we have been receiving some reports that expecting mothers living in St Paul's and surrounding areas are no longer going to St Paul's Hospital as they are made to pay for the service with chickens," she said.
Sr Ncube, who is also the district community sister, said the number of pregnant mothers delivering at home was on the increase throughout the district, a situation that could lead to a surge in maternal mortalities.
"We are receiving numerous reports of home baby deliveries in various areas in the district and as stakeholders we should be wary of such developments.
"There is a likelihood of an increase in maternal mortalities and as a country we risk failure to attain one of the Millennium Development Goals, which is to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent by 2015," Sr Ncube said.
Since March last year, expecting and new mothers along with children under five as well as adults aged over 65 years no longer pay for health services in a deal backed by the Health Transition Fund (HTF).
The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Paul Chimedza, said Government had scrapped user fees for pregnant women, hence paying with livestock was scandalous.
"We did scrap user fees and this person who is demanding livestock is being malicious. It is uncalled for and where do these chickens and goats go to once they are brought to the hospital. Someone is just being scandalous," he said.
"St Paul's benefits from the HTF which is supposed to benefit children under five years of age and all pregnant women as per policy. They may collect other fees that go to the council and not the health ministry."
Source - Sunday News
