4.0 Maternal Health
ZPP established that while the focus in so much on the
COVID-19 vaccination process, other health services
have been heavily neglected. One key area is maternal
health and when ZPP carried out brief survey in
council and government health institutions in Harare
and major towns, it established there are serious
challenges when it comes to pre and post-natal
services.
Apart from the cases of women telling harrowing
stories of facing disrespect, abuse and neglect at
health facilities, there is a huge shortage of basic items
such as cotton wool and in some instances, there is no
running water at health institutions.
Currently 458 maternal deaths occur per 100,000 live
births in Zimbabwe.
Many families are also facing increased poverty as a
result of being unable to work during the lockdown.
Many pregnant women and girls will be unable to
afford the costs of transport to health facilities to give
birth.
ZIMBABWE PEACE PROJECT
MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT
JULY 2021
While council and government clinics charge relatively
subsidized maternity fees, pregnant mothers still have
to folk out extra money to buy the required birth kits.
Authorities must make arrangements, to ensure
women and girls have access to antenatal care,
maternity waiting homes and skilled medical care to
give birth. They should also allow for medical and
social support in the postpartum period and ensure
access to medication and health care.
Some of the women that ZPP spoke to said they have
either been turned away while going for their
periodical checks, or they have had to endure long
queues where social distancing is impossible, with
stories of patients fainting while in long queues, and
unsafe home deliveries being conducted by
unqualified people, and a thriving black market for
drugs.
We call on government to prioritise maternal health
issues to reduce maternal mortality. The majority of
deaths can be prevented if women receive the right
care throughout their pregnancies and during birth.
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