Thyolo records zero maternal deaths in 130 days

Thyolo district health officer (DHO) has said the district hospital has not registered maternal deaths in 130 days, the entire first quarter of this year.

Arnold Jumbe said, in an interview on Friday , there is a lot of work to be done to maintain such a record. He said despite the success, the hospital still faces challenges such as inadequate space for expectant women who are referred to the hospital one or two months prior to delivery.

“One hundred and thirty days without maternal death is a big achievement, but we still need to sensitise communities to encourage more women to deliver at the hospital because it is safe,” he said.

Thyolo is highly populated with about 700 000 people out of whom, at least 40 000 pregnant women visit the district hospital per year, leading to congestion in the labour ward, according to the DHO.

Labour ward nurse-in-charge Mirriam Windo attributed the achievement to hard work and effective referral of pregnant women from health centres.

“The achievement follows the arrival of a special clinician at the facility and timely processing of referral cases from health centres,” she said.

Windo said nurses working in the labour ward were also encouraged to attend to referral cases within 16 minutes of their arrival, which saves women and babies in critical conditions.