BY FRAZER POTANI a correspondent
Imagine you are not a celebrity but find yourself on national television!
This happened to Kawale resident Judith Shaba in Lilongwe City.
Shaba was some weeks ago beamed on Malawi Television (TVM) complaining that her baby died allegedly due to a health worker’s negligence at Kawale Health Centre during labour.
Even Judith’s husband, Bester, was seen on same TVM threatening to take legal action against the alleged health worker involved.
One may understand the couple’s anger and shock if he/she goes to Kawale Health Centre.
The same health centre where their baby died has visible writings on its walls encouraging more interaction between a mother and her baby through breast feeding.
The health centre therefore, is the last place to let pregnant woman lose her baby to advance its campaign of strengthening bonds between mothers and babies.
A random interview with residents seeking treatment from Kawale Health Centre revealed they get ill-treated by health workers.
A Kawale resident on condition of anonymity said he went to Kawale Health Centre to seek treatment after an attack by thugs on his way back from work late September hence lost money, mobile phone and vital portable materials and reported the matter to the police.
“But I returned without getting treatment instead went to a private clinic because the way a health worker talked to me it was as if the thugs attacked me out of my own wish,” he said adding that since then he does not go to seek treatment from the health centre.
Another Kawale resident also former nurse now a successful business woman running a restaurant and a tailoring shop in Lilongwe also said went to Kawale Health Centre with a relative.
“She was attacked by cerebral malaria but we left without her getting treatment because I was shocked by what one health worker did,” she said.
The former nurse disclosed that she witnessed a health worker at Kawale collecting health passports from patients who were standing on a queue to assist them.
“But after one patient on queue complained that health workers were slow while she was in pain, the health worker got angry, shouted at them and threw the health passports at the crowd,” she said adding that the crowd had to scramble for their passports in the process.
“My sick relative’s health passport was torn into pieces in the process,” she said adding that she no longer also goes to Kawale Health Centre for treatment.
“But as a former health worker I think the starting point to solve the problem is for government to construct more health centres in Lilongwe City and deploy adequate staff, drugs and equipment,” she said.
She disclosed that Kawale Health Centre is overwhelmed by many patients requiring treatment because they flock from Areas 22, 23, 24, Chilinde, Kaliyeka, Mchesi and many more townships.
“How do you expect a health centre to provide adequate, quality health service to the needy including treat patients with compassion when its staff is overwhelmed by many clients against inadequate staff, drugs and equipment?” she queried.
Unless health workers in public health institutions countrywide are however, friendly to pregnant women, government’s campaign to discourage deliveries elsewhere will not yield results.
Hawa Muhammadi, 42, a mother of nine from Chowe Area in Mangochi for example said she was ill-treated by a female nurse in a public hospital.
“During my fifth pregnancy a female nurse talked to me abusively before slapping me on the face for failing to follow her instructions due to severe pain,” she said.
Hawa disclosed her experience when, in a snap survey in Mangochi, the Blantyre based Centre for Reproductive Health Department (CRHD) took journalists on a media tour to that district.
Principal Secretary (PS) for Health Chris Kang’ombe said one problem contributing to some health workers’ bad attitude towards patients in public hospitals was pressure of work due to staff shortage.
He said government has laid strategies to recruit more health workers and will do everything to improve mothers’ and babies’ health.
Kang’ombe welcomed bad attitude health workers’ exposure however, also called journalists to motivate health workers doing their job professionally by highlighting them in the media.
White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRASM) – Malawi Chairperson Darlington Harawa disclosed that Malawi’s maternal statistics were gloomy.
“Maternal Mortality is at 807 per 100,000 live births. In simple mathematics this translates close to 16 women dying every day due to maternal health related complications,” he said.
Vice President Joyce Banda said during labour pregnant women go between thin line between life and death and even experienced it herself.
“I am told I collapsed because I lost blood and it was Dr. Chiphangwi who was called to save my life,” Banda told a crowd during Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) launch in Mchinji.
“I then asked myself the question: What would have happened if there is no doctor?” queried Banda.
The Washington based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) says a mother’s death in poor developing countries like Malawi increases death risk for her under five children by 50 percent.
However, Ministry of Health’s Senior Reproductive Health Officer, Prisca Masepuka said Malawian women can still claim back their safe motherhood joy if everyone in the community including men support pregnant women during and after delivery.
(Ends)
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