Some pregnant Zambian women in Isoka are forced to cross the border into neighbouring Malawi to deliver due to the lack of access to quality health and reproductive health services in Isoka.
This is according to research by the Society for Women and AIDS in Zambia, an organisation that has just concluded implementing a project funded by the Zambian Governance Foundation aimed at accelerating women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services in three districts of Isoka, Katete and Mwinilunga.
Society for Women and AIDS in Zambia Programmes Officer Grace Lembani said in an interview in Lusaka that expectant mothers in Isoka have to trek to Malawi through Chama to access ante natal services.
“They have a route from Isoka through to Chama and into Malawi, these women preferring walking long distances to receive medical attention in Malawi,” Ms. Lembani said.
Ms. Lembani said pregnant women are forced to walk long distances to get into Malawi because ante natal services are poor or non-existent on the Zambian side.
“Our research found that ante natal services in Isoka are pathetic or virtually nonexistent. This has forced our women to walk into Malawi for deliveries,” she said.
Ms. Lembani however warned that women delivering in Malawi are facing complications with regard to birth registration of their newly born.
“It’s a problem because these women giving birth in Malawi are facing issues with registering their babies and issues of citizenship.”
She said the situation has led to most women preferring home deliveries by unskilled birth attendants which expose them to birth complications.
Ms. Lembani said Zambia needs to upscale its investments in sexual and reproductive health services if the country is to reduce the number of pregnant women dying due to complications arising from child birth.
Zambia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with 2007 figures showing that 591 cases of maternal deaths are recorded per 100,000 live births across the country.
And i thought our first lady was vigilant in making sure that women, mothers and girl child are protected! This is so embarrasing and heart breaking, we all should be ashamed of ourselves, meanwhile Miss Masebo is busy running up and down over UNWATO useless project when important people need attention. This is a shame to all you Fathers and husbands who are able to make a difference but you havent, shame on Zambia shame on us all, komafye Bola, dirty politics of chochise, international image whatever, useless, those children are now Malawans period!
Christine Kaseba is just looking after her personal interests. There’s no connection between government and what she does. I have always insisted that if she were really concerned with the health of Zambians, her butt would constantly be down on some chair in a clinic near State House!
Please people of God,those of you responsible for such issues could you please help our mothers on this one.
These people talked about here should be those in the border areas. Ms Lembani should have been specific, the truth is that we have a number of health centres in Isoka district where the services are issued. Those places in the border areas are far from these centres and its easy to get into Malawi for medical services unlike getting to a nearest centre in Zambia.
What should be done is to build a good mothers shelter at Isoka district hospital because it takes the whole day for an ambulance to get to places like Zonche.
I do not dispute that fact but generalising was not right.
Chabipa nokumfwa.
There is nothing accessing medical facilities in neighboring country if it is near ones home like where am in Luangwa, people from Zimbabwe ans Mozambique access medical services from Luangwa boma.I have a problem with the article from lembani,i do not know whether she is conversant with Isoka district and places which are near Malawi.Chama is district on its own and it more than 200km from isoka.I do come from muchinga province and a walkeable distance into malawi.All the surrounding villages have health posts and it not true information that children who born from malawi health centers are forced to register their citizen in Malawi,i have relative who have given birth in Malawi but the come and register their children in Zambia.
I found the lembani article misleading.
I mean there is nothing wrong in accessing medical care in near by country
*** Shaking my Head****Yet our gov’t is putting up 650 Indian prefab health posts at an inflated cost of K260 Billion when the existing clinics and hospitals in districts are ill equipped….incompetence and misplaced priorities is still the norm no change.
Lembani I think your story is full of special effects Isoka to Malawi is over 200km How can a pregnant lady walk from Isoka to Chama throuh a national park?????????
You are being very economical with the truth.Get a life
what about those who go to south Africa?
Some one has done a study that calls for building more health centres and people are instead in denial and disputing findings.Will Zambia ever improve?So you people are telling us Isoka has got very good antenatal clinics doted all over and this report is crap? Just because I live at a border doesn’t mean I cease to be governments responsibility.During elections even votes at those border towns are counted.so get off your high horses and help our mothers.
I think I too, have difficulty to believe this report! Even people in Chama which is closer to Malawi may not find it that easy to! Northern Malawi is more rural than the south! Ok are they giving birth to Malawian/Zambian children? Ok we are one! Thank you Welensky!
A country that looks after its women ensures its success and progress. If women are suffering what you expect are suffering children and an unhealthy nation. However this story seems peppered with some fiction. As far as I know isoka is nearer to Tunduma than to any Malawi an outpost so why would women walk to malawi?
And why do some women have a serious lack of imagination? You took my name and decided to call yourself “Slow Speed White mama”.
You should be ashamed. Also if you’re Zambian you’re probably as black as me – how can you be a white mama?
It’s like someone admires/envies you so I guess I should be flattered.
What a shame that the most basic and essential service is not available to these women at home.
This probably means a long walk back with a newborn. Unacceptable.
S0 if a child is born in Malawi, THAT CHILD IS A MALAWIAN? SINCE THERE IS BAROTSE ISSUE, SO BE IT IN EAST WHERE WE CAN JOIN MALAWI AND TANZANIA
SATA BUSY WITH BY-ELECTION INSTEAD OF SPENDING OUR RESOURCES ON SUCH MATTERS. MALAWI HAVING BETTER SERVICES THAN ZAMBIA??? WHAT A SHAME. THIS IS WHY ZAMBIA WILL ALWAYS BE POOR. OUR LEADERS ARE VERY SELFISH; THEY LACK STRATEGIES TO RESOLVE SUCH MATTERS. SAD STORY INDEED.
This woman is a liar. Its not posible for a pregnant woman to walk to malawi via chama which is about 300Km passing thru the game park. She just wants money from donors
Life in borders is difficult bane. I come from chipata tamanda área. We`ve a clinic and school right there but malawian side havent so they come to our side. There are also other places along the border which are the opposite of our situation. And these borders are just in the atlas for people there its difficult to draw lines for them. Talk of marriages people get married anywhere they want. Its not easy or it may take long to put clinics along all settlements along the borders.
and because of posting young nurses straight from school to run a center,how can those services be delivered in a smart manner,marubbish