By Andrew Phiri, Lundazi
FIRST Lady Mrs Esther Lungu has
raised the bar high for maternal health in Lundazi District in Eastern Province
in a bid to put to stop the increasing burden of maternal mortality rate in the
District.
Pregnant and heavy, women are
travelling a long stretch in the bush on bicycles in order to access maternal
health services in Lundazi District.
At times, the man is unavailable
to accompany the heavy woman and worse still unwilling to escort the expecting
mother to the health facility despite not having any means of transportation.
It is both availability and
access to maternal health services that compound the challenge of mothers in
rural communities. At the extreme end of it, death has occurred hence the
clarion call ‘no woman should die while giving life’
It is this challenge that took
the First lady of Zambia Mrs Esther Lungu to the east in Lundazi District from
the comfort of state house to spend five days with rural based mothers in
Lundazi District.
Mrs Lungu repeatedly called ‘no
woman should die while giving life’ and true to her passion, she has embarked
on a robust undertaking to fight for safe motherhood in the country.
Zambia joined the global
community in marking this year’s Safe Motherhood Week under the theme “Universal Access to Sexual and
Reproductive Health, leaving no one behind”
An eight months pregnant woman,
who has just turned 18 years old arrives at Kamsoro Rural Health Centre to seek
maternal services in a conducive environment. She will spend the next few days
at the Health Centre in the maternity Waiting Room constructed through the SIDA/USAID
supported Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child, Adolescent Health &
Nutrition (RMNCAH&N) program.
Cindy Chirwa is RMNCAH&N
national coordinator who undertook tour of the four maternity waiting rooms
constructed in the Lundazi District.
She reveals that a total of K550,
000 was spent on each of the three maternity waiting rooms and one maternity
annex.
According to the World Health
Organisation Country Representative Dr Nathan Bakhaita, although strides have
been recorded in the bid to end maternal mortality, developing countries like
Zambia still had work to do.
Dr Bakhaita commended government
for the demonstrated commitment and efforts exerted towards the end of maternal
death.
A group of Safe Motherhood Action
Group (SMAG) surrounded First Lady Mrs Esther Lungu in Mwase Lundazi with
heartrending music drawing her attention to the challenge expecting mothers
undergo in the process of giving life.
“Amama nthumbo yauka, ine nalimnbana nayo – nalimbana nalimbana nayo, amudala agonelamo kumoba, amama ine nthumbo yauka (Mother, I have laboured with this pregnancy despite my husband continuing drinking beer all-night long)”
This was a demonstration of what
mothers go through during labour without much support from their husband. Some
walk for about five hours to get to the health facility without support from
their husbands.
It is for this reason, Chief
Madzimabwe in Chipata District told the First Lady how her chiefdom had started
punishing men who do not support their wives during labour.
