Don’t deliver babies in homes, women urged

Group village head (GVH) Mphonga Nkhata from Traditional Authority Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba District has cautioned women against delivering babies in their homes.

He said this in an interview on Monday following the implementation of a Malawi Heath Equity Network (Mhen) project to promote safe motherhood and immunisation among under-five children in the district.

The chief said previously, some women used to deliver with the help of traditional birth attendants, which put their lives at risk in case of birth complications.

He said Mhen made them realise that maternal and infant deaths were avoidable.

Said Nkhata: “They helped us realise the need for pregnant women to seek antenatal services from health facilities and deliver at the hands of trained healthcare workers.

“We formulated by-laws to punish women who deliver in the village.”

Chikhwengwe Mother Care Group member Tryness Nyirenda said there was inadequate information on neonatal and postnatal issues.

She said: “Now more mothers are going to the clinic to have their children vaccinated.

“Again, pregnant mothers are seeking antenatal services.”

Nyirenda also said they reached out to faith leaders who discouraged their subjects from going to clinics.

“We used to face challenges with some faith leaders who do not believe in going to health facilities, but through the project, women are now taking their children for vaccination,” she said.

Mhen assistant project officer Mphatso Kamanga encouraged the mother care groups to continue sensitising people to have zero cases of maternal deaths.

“We trained them to promote immunisation and we are happy to see positive results,” she said.

Kamanga also commended the mother care groups for facilitating the construction of a clinic to boost immunisation in the community