Expecting mothers in Zimbabwe’s rural areas are often forced to sleep on the floor due to a lack of beds and water in the waiting shelters at public referral hospitals, according to Members of Parliament.
During Wednesday’s question and answer session, MPs revealed that pregnant women in maternity waiting homes (MWHs) are required to cook for themselves and fetch their own water, even as they approach their delivery dates.
MWHs are designed to provide accommodation for high-risk women in the final weeks of pregnancy, so they can stay near hospitals with essential obstetric facilities.
Tabeth Murwira, a proportional representative Member of Parliament, asked Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Sleiman Kwidini what measures the government had in place to address this issue.
Another MP, Sithabisiwe Moyo, said that expecting mothers are left to sleep on cold floors without food at MWHs. She said:
<blockquote>
Most of the time, these shelters lack security, and the women are forced to lie on the floor.
Expecting mothers need a proper place to rest and be admitted to hospitals, not just an empty room without bedding.
These mothers are also not provided with food; they are told to find their own. Many of them come from distant areas.
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In response, Kwidini acknowledged the challenges faced by expectant mothers and said that the ministry is working to improve the situation. He said:
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It is true that women who want to give birth at the hospital often arrive to find that the waiting rooms have no beds or food.
The Ministry of Health is working tirelessly, day and night, to address this issue, alongside the Ministry of Public and Social Welfare, to provide food for the maternity wings.
We are also working to acquire more comfortable beds.
</blockquote>
However, Kwidini said that providing water to hospitals falls outside his ministry’s mandate.
He also urged lawmakers to allocate part of their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to help build and maintain maternity shelters in their constituencies.
More: <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/expecting-mothers-being-neglected-in-waiting-shelters-minister-told/">ZimLive</a>

Pindula News

Expecting mothers in rural Zimbabwe have to sleep on the floor in waiting shelters because there are not enough beds and water. They have to cook for themselves and find their own water, even close to giving birth. These shelters are supposed to help high-risk pregnant women stay near hospitals before delivery. Members of Parliament raised this issue, asking the government to improve conditions. The Health Minister acknowledged the challenges and said they are working on providing more beds and food. However, the issue of water supply falls outside the ministry's mandate. Lawmakers are urged to use funds to help build and maintain maternity shelters in their areas.

Expecting Mothers In Rural Zimbabwe Face Harsh Conditions In Maternity Waiting Homes

A 30-year-old woman from Mafararikwa Village under Chief Marange’s area died last week after enduring pregnancy-related complications for three days.
The woman, Jane Muchichwa (30), a member of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church, died on her way to the hospital following her family’s intervention.
According to <a href="https://www.manicapost.co.zw/dark-day-for-womens-health-woman-dies-with-fetus-arm-sticking-out/">The Manica Post</a>, Muchichwa died with her unborn baby’s arm sticking out of her uterus.
The acting spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Manicaland Province, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed Muchichwa’s death while in labour. He said:
<blockquote>
We received a report of sudden death after Ms Jane Muchichwa (30) passed on while giving birth.
On January 14, Ms Muchichwa, who was a member of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church, went to stay at a Johane Marange Apostolic Church prophetess, Ms Rupimo’s homestead in Mafararikwa Village in preparation for delivery as she was nine months pregnant.
On January 15, she started experiencing labour pains and at around 2 PM on the same day, the fetus’ arm and umbilical cord protruded while the rest of the body remained inside.
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Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said Rupimo (pictured above) continued praying for Muchichwa as she assessed her condition. He said:
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On January 16, Ms Rupimo told Ms Muchichwa’s husband, Mr Makebho Madziro (43) that she had failed to assist the pregnant woman in delivery and advised him to take her to another prophetess.
That evening, Mr Madziro took his wife to another prophetess, Ms Mahove, for assistance.
</blockquote>
Asst Insp. Chinyoka said Muchichwa’s elder sister, Sarah Muchichwa visited her the following day and discovered that her condition had deteriorated. He said:
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Ms Sarah Muchichwa phoned their brother, Mr Trymore Chiruka to come and ferry their pregnant sibling to hospital.
Sadly she died on their way to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital the following day. Police from Marange attended the scene.
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Chiruka, in whose car Muchichwa died on their way to the hospital, revealed that his sister had earlier been transferred from two other midwives, with all of them failing to deliver her baby.
He said by the time they embarked on the journey to the hospital, the baby was already lifeless, with its hand and the umbilical cord protruding. Said Chiruka:
<blockquote>
I consulted her husband on the way forward and he agreed to have her taken to hospital. My other sister, Sarah, accompanied us.
Jane was writhing in pain and crying out for help. After driving for about 7km on our way to the hospital, she died.
I immediately called her husband, informing him of the situation and he advised us to drive back to his homestead.
Police later arrived and ferried the body to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.
Her death could have been avoided if she was taken to the hospital when she developed those complications.
By the moment they transferred her to the third midwife without any success in delivering her baby, they should have realised that her condition required medical attention without any further delays.
</blockquote>
Muchichwa was buried last week on Friday in Mafararikwa Village after the post-mortem fetal extrusion process was carried out at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.
Postmortem fetal extrusion or coffin birth is the process whereby an unborn fetus is expelled from the body after a pregnant woman has died.
Mafararikwa Village Head, Crispen Mafararikwa said that Muchichwa was not accorded the usual rites members of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church get when they are buried as she was taken to the hospital in violation of the church’s religious beliefs.
The doctrine of the Apostolic sect does not believe in any medicine or conventional health services.
Pregnant women in the church deliver at home-based “maternity wards” referred to as “chitsidzo”, under the care of church-ordained midwives.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Woman Dies Giving Birth At Home Of Johane Marange Apostolic Sect "Midwife"

Four people, among them a pregnant woman from Gwanda, died of cholera early this month at a religious shrine in Beitbridge.
The pregnant woman, who had contracted the disease, went to the shrine to seek help after refusing to be assisted by health officials due to religious beliefs.
According to the Gwanda district cholera situational report released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) on 13 January, the deceased, including the pregnant woman, were apostolic sect members.
The pregnant woman reportedly complained of a headache and nausea on 29 December 2023 and assumed she was having labour pains. <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200022101/cholera-kills-4-at-apostolic-sect-shrine">Read the report</a>:
<blockquote>
She was taken to a religious shrine in the Beitbridge District in the Mazunga area for assistance in delivery.
While she was there, the birth attendant and custodian of the shrine contracted cholera along with 12 other family members and neighbours. The birth attendant and two males died.
The Beitbridge MoHCC rapid response team (RRT) attended to the outbreak on January 1 and carried out contact tracing and treatment of symptomatic contacts found.
The deceased was initially hidden from the RRT by family members and later identified by other community members. The deceased refused medical attention from the RRT members.
The family then tried to shift her to another religious shrine in the Mberengwa Masase area, however, she died along the way on January 2.
Her death was reported to the police and was placed at the Gwanda Provincial Hospital mortuary pending a post-mortem.
</blockquote>
The family, however, did not disclose that the deceased was a contact of a confirmed cholera death.
On 09 January, the body of the deceased was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post-mortem and buried on the same day at Jonclyn Resettlement.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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