HARARE
–
Expecting
mothers
in
Zimbabwe’s
rural
areas
are
often
forced
to
sleep
on
the
floor
due
to
lack
of
beds
and
water
in
the
waiting
shelters
at
public
referral
hospitals,
legislators
have
said.
During
Wednesday’s
question
and
answer
session,
lawmakers
expressed
concern
over
the
conditions
in
maternity
waiting
homes,
with
many
mothers
left
to
cook
for
themselves
and
also
fetch
water
despite
being
closer
to
their
delivery
dates.
Tabeth
Murwira,
a
proportional
representative
Member
of
Parliament,
asked
Health
and
Child
Care
deputy
minister
Sleiman
Kwidini
on
what
the
government
had
in
place
to
help
the
situation.
Another
MP,
Sithabisiwe
Moyo,
also
highlighted
that
mothers
in
a
lot
of
waiting
shelters
were
not
being
provided
with
food.
“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,”
she
said.
Maternity
waiting
homes
are
meant
to
offer
accommodation
for
high-risk
women
in
the
final
weeks
of
their
pregnancy,
allowing
them
to
stay
near
hospitals
equipped
with
essential
obstetric
facilities.
However,
many
women
face
significant
challenges,
including
inadequate
amenities.
Kwidini
acknowledged
the
challenges
faced
by
expecting
mothers
saying
the
ministry
is
working
hard
to
ameliorate
the
situation.
“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,”
he
said.
Kwidini
however
said
the
provision
of
water
to
hospitals
fell
outside
his
ministry’s
mandate.
He
denied
the
government
had
intentionally
neglected
the
waiting
shelters,
and
emphasised
ongoing
efforts
to
improve
them.
“We
are
in
the
process
of
constructing
new
facilities
as
part
of
a
project
aimed
at
reducing
maternal
complications.
We
also
want
to
address
the
challenges
faced
by
women
living
in
marginalized
areas
or
far
from
health
centres,”
he
said.
Kwidini
challenged
lawmakers
to
play
their
own
part
to
help
the
situation,
suggesting
they
use
part
of
their
Constituency
Development
Fund
(CDF)
to
help
build
and
maintain
maternity
shelters
within
their
respective
constituencies.
“This
is
in
line
with
His
Excellency,
the
President’s
mantra,
‘Nyika
inovakwa
nevene
vayo.’
Honorable
Members
should
also
use
the
devolution
fund,
provided
through
local
authorities,
to
assist
with
the
construction
and
maintenance
of
these
maternal
shelters,”
he
said.
Maternity
Waiting
Homes
(MWHs)
have
been
a
part
of
Zimbabwe’s
healthcare
system
since
the
early
1980s,
but
many
are
now
in
disrepair.
Studies
show
that
women
who
stay
in
these
homes
have
better
pregnancy
outcomes
than
those
who
are
admitted
directly
from
home.