• Fountain of Life founder Princess Kasune.

By MIRIAM ZIMBA –
FOUNTAIN of Life has bemoaned the lack of adequate maternal health care services in Keembe area of Chibombo district.
Speaking in an interview with Times Health, the organisation’s founder Princess Kasune said her organisation is working to ensure improved maternal health care for the people of Keembe in Chibombo.
She said her organisation has donated two incubators to Liteta Leprosarium Hospital, where there were previously no incubators for premature babies.
She disclosed that the decision to make this donation was arrived at by the fact that the hospital services a population of about 30,000.
She also identified the numerous health care needs in Keembe, which she said has no medical doctor at the moment.
“The whole area does not have a medical doctor, instead they rely on one clinician and three nurses, which is a very dire situation given the vastness of the area,” she said.
She regretted to note the inadequate staffing levels at most health centres across the country, have had a negative effect on rural health centres.
She said her organisation has partnered with the government to facilitate the construction of a new maternity wing at Chibombo health centre.
She described as unfortunate a situation where expectant mothers have to ensure travelling long distances in order to access maternal health care.
“People walks distances of as far as 20 kilometres, while others are transported on oxen carts and bicycles to Chibombo health centre, and many of these women even give birth on their way to the health centre,” she said.
Ms Kasune also disclosed that currently, Chibombo health centre has no running water, and that relatives of patients are compelled to fetch water for use at the health centre.
“It is so sad that expectant mothers are subjected to using pit latrines due to lack of running water at the health facility,” she added.
She said is also regrettable that the health centre does not have laundry facilities, and that staff at the health have to hand-wash the linen.
“It is for this reason that we at Fountain of Life have partnered with government to build a new maternity wing at the health centre to ensure that no woman’s life is put at risk as they give life.
“We need to ensure that the expectant mothers are accorded the privacy they deserve, and we need to ensure that they have flushable toilets within the maternity ward to ensure optimal care during their stay at the maternity ward,” she said.
She said lack of health personnel, coupled with lack of facilities and long distances has contributed to high maternal mortality because a lot of women opt to give birth at home.
Ms Kasune said the total cost of the construction of the new maternity ward is estimated at about K1.2 million.
She said it is her organisation’s desire to ensure that no pregnant woman should cover more than five kilometres to access maternity health services by 2020.