Women are still dying on their way to hospitals - care givers

DEPUTY Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe on starting government duties made a bold declaration that giving birth is a national duty and no woman should die while bringing new life into the world.

Despite this bold statement of intent, villagers, home-based care givers and medical staff in Zhombe Ntabeni South, 90km from Kwekwe, say women are still dying on their way to hospitals or at home while attempting to give birth.

Health worker Sinikiwe Maforimbo, a focal person of Ward 14 in Zhombe, said in February a woman died while she was being ferried in a scotchcart from Ntabeni Clinic to Zhombe Mission Hospital during the nightbecause there is no electricity at the clinic and nurses could not help her.

"She could not get help from the clinic because there is no electricity here and she had not brought candles with her as is required for all women who come here to give birth," she said.

"She was then asked to go and seek help at the mission hospital and because there is no transport at the clinic she had to walk and unfortunately died on the way."
This could have been avoided had the government got its priorities right, according to constituency MP Roger Tazviona.

Instead of supplying electricity to the clinic which serves around 1 300 people, the government chose to electrify Chief Ntabeni's homestead instead. Power lines run less than 400m from the clinic heading to the chief's homestead, some 10km away.

"The government connected several chiefs' homesteads to the power grid through the rural electrification programme, but neglected powering crucial health institutions like the Ntabeni Clinic," Tazviona said.

"We live in a sick society where individuals are more important than communities."

Tazviona, an MDC-T MP, has donated a 100kw generator to the clinic following an outcry over the challenges expecting mothers were facing at the clinic.

Using part of the Constituency Development Fund, he bought a 100kw generator which he gave to the clinic with the hope that it would help power maternity wards at Ntabeni Clinic.

The clinic still faces challenges getting fuel to power the generator. Sometimes they run out of fuel and as a result still require the average of 10 women who deliver at the clinic to bring candles with them.

Tambudzai Khumalo, a mother of two, says she had to deliver her child at home because she could not even afford to buy the candles which sell for $1 for two.

"Money is something that is not easy to come by. Getting just a dollar is a hustle. So I was forced to deliver at home because I could not raise enough money to buy candles," she said.

Mfowethu Dube, a villager and father of five, had no kind words for the government and Zibagwe Rural District Council, charged with providing health services in Zhombe.

"We are a neglected people. If you compare us to other people from Kwekwe or Harare it looks like we come from a different country," he fumed.

"People here can't get something as simple as a newspaper and you talk of health delivery!"

Sister–in–charge Nompumelelo Dube told Industry and Commerce minister Welshman Ncube during a recent visit that power challenges at the clinic were hampering villagers' access to medical attention especially at night since it was difficult to work using cellphone torches.

"Patients who come in at night should bring their own candles especially expecting mothers because we can't carry out a baby delivery without light and use of paraffin is not allowed in clinics or hospitals. When they come without candles we can't help them and some have died while we wait for light," she said.

To compound this, buildings at the clinic are in bad shape, with cracks running down walls at the maternity ward and staff quarters look as if they are about to collapse.

Ncube, during his visit, donated another 100kw generator and bedding, saying it was sad that as the country moved towards meeting the Millenium Development Goals women were still dying while giving birth because of power shortages.

"We can't allow lives to be lost as women give birth. The government needs to make it a priority to ensure that everyone has access to health facilities," he said.

Headman Malaki Mpama said it was sad that women in the area were still dying while giving birth, with most of the deliveries taking place in unsafe environs.

"It is not like for the past 32 years we have had no government and that we have not been calling for development to also come to our people - we have, but they just seemed to be dumb. Nothing has ever happened here," he said.

Dube said some villagers walk distances as long as 15km to access health services, forcing many to rely on traditional medicine men, only going to clinic or hospitals when their health had seriously deteriorated.

"You can't walk 15km just to get treated for a headache or a sore leg when you have a medicine man near you or our traditional house wives," he said.
"If the pain is manageable most people opt to stay at home, but obviously this has disadvantages.