‘CEASE MATERNAL DEATH!’ ESTHER LUNGU

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.