Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) has raised concern over the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in mining communities and the deteriorating state of maternity waiting shelters in rural areas.
These findings emerged from a recent study conducted by the commission to assess the experiences of pregnant women across six rural provinces, including Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South.
The study revealed alarming statistics of teenage pregnancies, with 211 expecting mothers under the age of 18 recorded at 13 health institutions over a 12-month period. Mining communities accounted for a significant proportion of these cases.
“The Commission also noted relatively high statistics of girls below the age of 18 being admitted at the maternity waiting homes. A total of 211 expecting mothers below 18 years were recorded in the period of 12 months at 13 health institutions visited, with health institutions in mining communities recording higher cases of teenage pregnancies,” reads the report.
The report also highlighted the dire state of maternity waiting shelters, which were established by the Government to reduce the distance pregnant women must travel to deliver.
“A total of 24 health institutions were assessed across six provinces; Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Matabeleland North, and Matabeleland South. Issues noted included dilapidated infrastructure, poor living conditions, lack of nutritional support, shortage of skilled personnel, and high-security concerns around the maternity waiting homes,” the report stated.
The ZGC recommended the rehabilitation of waiting shelters and the integration of gender-based violence (GBV) support services, including counselling for survivors.
Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Sleiman Timios Kwidini, said the Government is prioritising the upgrade of maternity waiting shelters and the construction of new clinics in rural areas using devolution funds.
“The waiting shelters for expecting mothers are temporary shelters and as a ministry, we are working towards standardising some of them to make it comfortable for women as they come to deliver,” he said.
“They were designed to ensure that women do not travel long distances when coming to deliver. They aim to reduce home deliveries which can come with complications that put women’s health at risk.”
Deputy Minister Kwidini said the Government is constructing clinics closer to communities to further improve access to healthcare.
Community Health Working Group executive director, Mr Itai Rusike, acknowledged the strides made in reducing maternal health issues, but emphasised the need for further improvements, especially in the post-Covid-19 era.
“The country has made some progress in terms of reducing maternal mortality ratio and child mortality rates. The achievement has been on account of a combination of targeted measures such as the removal of user fees for pregnant women, free blood coupons for maternal cases, intensified training for health care workers, and construction of waiting mothers’ shelters,” he said.
However, Mr Rusike noted significant gaps remain, particularly in rural and low-income areas.
“When facilities lack waiting mothers’ shelters, pregnant women may be discouraged from seeking care due to the costs of staying at the facility or the absence of proper accommodation. Delays in seeking help are a major issue, which is why maternal and child health activities, community engagement, and health education must be strengthened,” he said.
Mr Rusike also urged the Government to extend free maternity care policies to urban council clinics, many of which still charge user fees despite the national policy exempting pregnant women from such payments.
“The Government should provide health grants to urban local authorities to enable them to fully implement the free user fee policy for pregnant women. This would prevent the collapse of urban clinics, which currently rely on user fees for operational costs,” he said.
By addressing these challenges, the country can ensure safer deliveries and better health outcomes for mothers and children. —@nqotshili
