Malawi shines in safe motherhood
The Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health (GLC) has rated Malawi as a star in safe motherhood initiatives despite some challenges in maternal mortality and family planning..
A GLC delegation made the observation in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe on Tuesday ahead of their meetings with President Joyce Banda, who is a member of the council, and other stakeholders working in reproductive health and family planning.
Led by former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, the council comprises former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga and former South African deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Other high-level members in the delegation, that arrived through Kamuzu International Airport, include president and chief executive officer of the Global Fund for Women Musimbi Kanyoro, former minister of Health for Botswana and vice-president of the Human Development Network of the World Bank Joy Phumaphi and award-winning Scottish singer Annie Lennox.
Briefing journalists on arrival, Robinson—who also chairs the GLC—said although Malawi’s birth rate and maternal mortality rate are still high, the country is among nations that have made progress in reproductive and maternal health globally.
Said Robinson: “As a council of global leaders, we are very supportive of the steps being taken by Malawi and the efforts shown by your President. We are here to reinforce the work. We have come to listen and learn from her. We have come as a friend and support her as one of our members.”
Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world—standing at 675 deaths per 100 000 births whereas the birth rate stands at almost six children per mother. This shows a decline from 1 120 maternal deaths per 100 000 births and a birth rate of seven.
Robinson observed that to maintain the effort and bring the figures down, there is need to encourage and promote education of women and girls.
The delegation is in the country at the invitation of President Banda.
The visit aims at supporting Banda’s Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood and to promote the need for increased funding from donor nations for reproductive health services for Malawi and other countries in the developing world.
In a statement, director of the GLC secretariat in Washington DC, Peggy Clark, said the visit is also to “honour President Banda’s commitment to using vital strategies to help bring down the terrible rate of maternal mortality that she has vowed to overcome.”
Malawi was one of four recipients of the 2012 Resolve Award in recognition of its innovative and workable approaches in striving to achieve universal access to reproductive health. Malawi won the award alongside Ethiopia, Nepal and Rwanda.
