FIRST LADY

First Lady For More Maternity Waiting Homes Across The Country, As She Opens A Model Maternity Waiting Home In KU

First Lady Dr Gertrude Mutharika says if more maternity waiting homes are built in all the districts of the country lives of mothers and babies will be saved. Madame Dr Mutharika said this on Friday when she officially opened a modern maternity waiting home, which has been built by University of North Carolina (UNC) with support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at Kasungu District Hospital. The home is model home which is different from those that have been built in other districts. Madame Dr Mutharika said most women face challenges of long distance to hospitals and with this in mind they have to go to the hospital earlier to wait for the delivery. She therefore thanked UNC through Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for constructing a modern maternity waiting home in Kasungu saying with this, women will be encouraged to go and wait for delivery at the hospital. “Allow me to thank Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through UNC for this maternity waiting home as it will go a long way to reduce maternal deaths, "This maternity waiting home will encourage more women to give birth at the hospital thereby getting better and quality services and may not die of complications,” Dr Mutharika said. The First lady said if women wait at a hospital they are easily attended to by qualified personnel when there are complications. She added that the maternity waiting home in Kasungu is a greatest milestone in maternal health service delivery and has provided hope to the mothers of Kasungu and surrounding district. The First Lady also stressed that Malawi has made strides in reducing deaths of mothers and children despite some problems. “Although we are facing challenges in the area of maternal health our efforts must be intensified. Maternal deaths are avoidable and unnecessary so the obligation lies with us all, “I therefore urge UNC to scale up its activities to other needy districts in the country,” said The First Lady. Chief Director for Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood Chimwemwe Chipungu hailed the resources that have been pumped in safe motherhood initiative. Said Chipungu: “I thank Bill and Melinda Gates for the support to UNC, safe motherhood cannot be possible without resources. This home is very important to these women.” UNC Country Director Prof Francis Martinson also thanked Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the modern structure which he said will help save more lives. “There is real need for the facility and I believe the women will be happy to use it. Therefore I thank Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the resources that they provided for the project without which this could not have been possible,” said Prof Martinson. The Kasungu Maternity Waiting Home has used US$ 250, 000 to construct, and is unique in that it has 9 chalets of 5 beds giving the women a feeling of a home.