PREGNANT women in Lusaka’s Chawama Township are delivering on the floor due to inadequate beds in the maternity wing, a saddening development that has raised concern from area ward councillor Potipher Tembo.
Mr Tembo confirmed in an interview in Lusaka during the week that the situation at the clinic was despicable and that efforts were being made to construct a new maternity wing to provide a conducive environment for expectant mothers.
Mr Tembo said out of 40 pregnant women, only 12 delivered on the few beds that were available.
Mr Tembo expressed commitment to improving the situation at the clinic as funds were available to embark on the planned refurbishment.
“It has come as a great concern that our women deliver on the floor and that they only have one tap at the maternity ward. This is very dangerous for our mothers as they have to queue up and take turns to use the bathroom,” Mr Tembo said.
He said the lack of adequate cleaning facilities at the labour ward forced some women to clean up at their respective homes after delivery.
”It is very saddening that even the health workers themselves are at risk because they have to deliver someone, while on the floor, which is not conducive for them as they are not able to do their work professionally,” he added.
He said it was the mandate of the Government to see to it that health conditions at the clinic were improved.”These are the people that voted for us and as such, we have to provide for them. They have to see the value of their vote through such gestures of providing for their needs,” he said.
The project to construct the new maternity wing is expected to cost K760 million of which K350 million has been sourced from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and K410 million came from the Ministry of Health.The construction works, that have commenced, are expected to end this monthend.
[Times of Zambia]
Very serious matter this is…we have alot of work to do, surely there must some priorities that are more serious then say for example donating money to Botswana?! Okay we need to show brotherhood/sisterhood and that i can understand…i have every confidence that issues like this one in the story are close to the government of the day…you guys have inherited serious issues…some of these beds we can actually manufacture them in Zed…GOD SPEED!
Oh Ghosh!! now that is serious. This has touched me so much. From now on, no more spontanoeus unecessry spending for me. This is one cause I will do all the best to fundraise for. the next time I go to Zed I will do something about it even if it is one bed or one tap. God help us I mean every word I have said.
AND THAT IS THE CLINIC WHICH BORROWED EQUIPMENTS FROM UTH SO THAT RUPIA CAN OPEN IT AND PRETEND THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS WORKING. NONSENSE.
WE TOLD THEM THAT THAT CLINIC HAS NOTHING INTERNS OF EQUIPMENT, WE TOLD THEM THAT RUPIA HAS ARRANGED THAT SOME EQUIPMENT BE BORROWED FROM UTH JUST FOR THE SHOW AND IT WILL BE RETURNED JUST AFTER THE OPENING. PEOPLE THOUGHT I WAS JUST BLUFFING UP. NOW THEY BELIEVE MY WORDS THAT RUPIA WAS BUSSY COMMISSIONING BUILDINGS WHICH WERE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO COMMISSIONING JUST TO MAKE HIS FOOLISH NAME.
#4 u are right rb is a shameless old man who wanted to hoodwink us wth those made for tv commissioning evry single day to win votes.to the pf u need to move fast on ths score!i mean beds,taps etc these cn be sorted out wthn a month these are short term projects & pipo wl feel the impact &appreciate u.its time to refocus,to deliver wat u chaps were voted for!take heed!
#4 very rite rb is a shameless old man who wanted to deceive the pipo wth those made 4tv commissioning of clinics etc.its gud he lost cant comphrend a full term 4rb.to ukwa &the pf its time to make pipo realise their wish.gud health care &facilities,i means beds ,taps & small thngs u cn move & do them in the shortest posible time.its time to deliver mwebantu imwe!take heed
MCS knew it dat our clinics have big problems and dats y he promist to sort them out soonest!cease to cry over spilled milk!If som1 cancels jst a trip abroad for mdedication,maternity beds can be bought!
There’s nothing wrong with delivering on the floor as long as it is sterile and the women are attended to
Very intelligent…
just because you were born on the floor you dog
Nubian Princess, I am guessing you’ve never had kids. Camfort is everything.
im realy surprised some pipo are condemning RB for all Pf short coming and unfullfilled promises. Its high PF kaponyas stopped the blame and get down to serious work. Time for campaign is long gone and PF should realise tha its no longer in opposition but in the driving seat.
Surpringsly, soem of you are acting like this is ‘news’? The ain’t new. It’s been happening in Zambia for years and there seems to be no solution in sight. Sad indeed!
let sata dosomething, he said he is God and in six months he wouldchange all things. back to him now ishilufye
Problems like that are not just in chawama, its countrywide, even UTH periodically has women deliver on floor. Moreover problems like that dont come from the blue but are a very expected result of lack of any planning by govt. If we go to ministry of health today and ask the top 100 officials for basic health statistics about zambia ( eg how many doctors do we have, what is current child mortality rate, what are top 5 killer diseases, doctor to patient ratio, expected projections for health burdens in 10 years etc), I wonder how many will be able to answer these basic questions. I mean we are talking about lack of basic first stage planning, at this stage scrap everything and start afresh.
Zambia has very small educated middle class that can protest against such bullshit. The masses of poor people will accept anything and not even think that they are getting a raw deal. All this is bound to continue until people are mature enough to reject this kind of crap. It will take generations. So my advice for you is if you can have your deliveries in private, or if your a lawyer then stand outside these clinics and give out your card to all these women as you prepare to sue the govt and make millions, its an opprtunity.
Bane stop blaming the previous regime? Whats wrong with you Zambians Kanshi? why have we started hearing of such isues now? it only shows there is a problem somewhere. We can’t have a government that is blaming the previous regime on almost everything. It is very irritating. This is a behavoiur of failures. Find solutions instead. Frustrated citizen.
In an impoverished country like zambia, too much sex, sure 40 pregnant women a day waiting delivering oh My God , mulenashako wafik…….
# 2 – Chibuzebuze
You have inspired me to do the same. Next time I go to Zambia I will try to do the same, I can surely afford one bed. Thanks man and have a good week.
#16 Monk sq Analtsis,
Go for it mate. I will doing some bank shifts on a labour ward on Wednesday and Thursday, so I’ve printed this news item and hope to get a few donations as well from some midwives doctors and consultantsand 30% of my wages for the two nights will go towards the cause. A Doctor friend of mine in zambia did a 5km run in Lusaka in aid colon cancer and the proceeds went to Cancer Unit. In July this year she is runnign 20km in aid of raising money for a classroom block in Nalolo Namushakende which has 3 classrooms. Iam just waiting for her sponsorship letter so I could also help her fuhdraise for this cause. I will update you of my progress in due course.
Major life saving improvement needed. Let us not quibble but encourage improvement for it is a raw deal for both patients and staff.
When Sata and Luo where minister’s of health, mothers were delivering on the floor chawama clinic has 3delivery beds and its catchment area is Lilayi, Chilanga, Makeni, John Laing, Misisi, Konga, John Howard, Linda and part of Kamwala south. I worked in Chawama labour ward since 1991 to 2002. The maximum deliveries at night was 10 to 18 this time I do not know since the population in Lusaka is growing RB commissioned the Out Patient Department not the LABOUR WARD I am a Chawama dweller
WE WANT TO SEE WHAT SATA IS GOING TO DO TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS. HIS MOUTH WAS OPENING VERY LOUD DURING CAMPAIGNS, CHEATING PEOPLE THAT IN 90 DAYS HE IS GOING TO DO THIS AND THAT. 7 MONTHS DOWN THE LINE HE IS STILL APPOINTING PEOPLE HE WANTS TO BE RICH, SENDING THEM TO FOREIGN SERVICE. HE HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR HIM. WHAT HAS HE DONE SO FAR SINCE HE ASSUMED POWER?
@princess i agree with you nothing wrong with delivering on the floor i had all my three kids born at home on the floor.no bazimai awe family planning should taught to these women too much mamimba some not even married just getting pregnant anyhow shaaaa.
Why give birth on the floor, ni caveman times
Pf u have failed to deliver even a single promise. Mind u ukwa was in mmd longer than rb who you are condemning for all the failures created by urselves when u were in mmd. RB Served for less than 3yrs. Imwe u have already done 7 months just appointing and swearing in useless thieving bembas
Awe ba Zambia na Christian Nation yenu muchinje, instead of progressing you are going backwards. Busy sending pipo kuma South Africa even when you know they are about to die. Why can you use that money to improve the hospitals and give a chance to a regular Zambian.
I do trust all the ideas you have presented for your post. They’re very convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too short for novices. May you please lengthen them a bit from next time? Thank you for the post.