Minister of Health and Sanitation Madalitso Baloyi has appealed for stronger collaboration to help Malawi reduce its maternal mortality ratio from 224 deaths per 100 000 live births to less than 70 by 2030.
The minister made the appeal on Saturday after spending the night on duty at Mangochi District Hospital’s maternity wing where she witnessed the pressures health care workers are encountering and the death of a woman and her unborn baby.
Baloyi said the death underscored the need to improve emergency transport and referral systems for pregnant women.
“She got sick at home and was being rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately we lost both the woman and the baby,” she said.
The minister said government is strengthening maternal referral systems through initiatives such as M-Mama, which provides emergency transport for expectant mothers, but stressed that more investment and partnerships are needed to eliminate preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.
During her overnight stay at the facility, Baloyi identified severe shortages of infrastructure, beds, mattresses, health workers, medical equipment, sanitation facilities and food, all of which continue to undermine maternal healthcare.
The minister found the maternity unit congested, with some patients sharing beds while others slept on the floor and in corridors. Although the facility has a bed capacity of 170, it admits over 500 patients.
Mangochi District Hospital senior nursing officer Olive Ngwira said staffing shortages remain one of the facility’s biggest challenges.
She said the maternity department has 110 midwives serving eight sections, but requires about 300. She said the labour ward has 28 midwives who work in shifts of six, although some shifts operate with only four.
“Sometimes we have only four midwives on duty despite the high patient load because others are sick or on leave. We need more staff to bridge the gap,” Ngwira said.
Mangochi district director of health and sanitation services Henry Chibowa said infrastructure shortages remain the hospital’s most pressing challenge.
“We record more than 50 deliveries a day and admit over 500 patients in a facility designed for 170. This affects sanitation, patient flow, food provision and other essential services,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malawi Health Equity Network executive director George Jobe has described the minister’s overnight stay as a positive step that would help government appreciate the challenges and make informed decisions.
According to the 2024 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, the country’s maternal mortality ratio has declined from 439 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2015/16 to 224 in 2024. Under-five mortality rate has also fallen from 64 to 48 deaths per 1 000 live births over the same period.
