Ministry of Health has applauded Standard Bank plc for renovating Zomba Central Hospital maternity wing high dependency unit (HDU), saying it will ensure quality healthcare for mothers and babies in Zomba and surrounding districts.
Deputy Minister of Health Noah Chimpeni, speaking during the handover of the HDU yesterday, said Zomba Central Hospital conducts 800 deliveries per month with about 120 done through Caesarian Section, but the facility lacked adequate space and equipment.
“This will significantly strengthen the hospital’s ability to provide life-saving care to mothers and newborns during their most vulnerable moments,” he said.
Standard Bank said the renovation has cost K210 million and involved expansion of the HDU into a six-bed unit with baby coats and medical equipment for monitoring mothers and babies.
Previously, the HDU was an improvised unit with three beds in a corner of a ward where mothers with medical conditions or complications were managed.
Zomba Central Hospital director Saulos Nyirenda said the expanded unit provides space for health workers to move around and for installation of equipment such as oxygen concentrators and suction machines.
On his part, Standard Bank plc chief executive officer Phillip Madinga said the bank recognises the importance of investing in healthcare infrastructure.
Zomba Central Hospital is a referral facility that handles patients from surrounding districts such as Phalombe, Machinga, Balaka and Mangochi.
Last year, Standard Bank also donated medical equipment worth K25 million and adopted Makhwira Health Centre in Chikwawa through Nation Publications Limited’s Mother’s Fun Run, a safe-motherhood initiative that mobilises resources.
Under the Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan III, the country targets to reduce maternal mortality rate from 349 per 100 000 live births in 2017 to 213 by 2030.
