Maravi

Maternal mortality worries Inonge

Maternal mortality worries Inonge
By Edwin Mbulo
Wed 11 May 2011, 04:01 CAT

THE MMD is missing out on strategies in the health sector that could help reduce
the high rate of maternal and infant mortality rates, says Inonge Wina.

In an interview Wina, who is PF national chairperson, said it was sad that
hundreds women die annually before giving birth when the government was saying
there were good health facilities.

“The MMD government is missing out on strategies especially on maternal
health... It is worse in the rural areas where the pregnant women have to cover
long distances to access health services,” Wina said.

She said when rural women get to health facilities, the attention given to them
was another concern.

Wina said the high number of deaths among women and children was worrying but
was not getting the attention of the community.

“If it were other people in other sectors dying like this there would be outcry,
is it because it is women and children who are affected? Is it because they are
voiceless? As with the rural women there is lopsided health delivery,” she said.
She said the same was with infant mortality and very little was being done to
change the rural set up.

“It will be very difficult for Zambia to attain the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG’s) by 2015. The issues being raised by the UNDP (United Nations Development
Programme) showing our trends on the course to reaching the MDG’s is of
concern,” she said.

Labels: HEALTHCARE, INONGE WINA, MMD

posted by MrK @ 4:22 PM