Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. WOMEN in the Midlands capital have urged the Gweru City Council to reintroduce maternity services at its clinics to improve access to maternal health services in the city.
Speaking at a Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) dubbed Women’s Rights Advocacy campaign, WCoZ Gweru chapter chairperson Merjury Makunere said council maternal clinics would lessen the burden on pregnant women who are travelling long distances to access maternal services.
“We used to have maternity services at health facilities such as Mkoba 1 Clinic,” Makunere said.
“We are urging council to urgently revive these maternal health centres so that women have easy access to maternal health services. Access to health, especially by expectant mothers, should be one of the council’s top priorities.”
Makunere said pregnant women, especially in Mkoba, were walking to and congesting Mkoba Polyclinic, the only health facility that offers maternal services in the populous suburb.
“This one facility in Mkoba is overwhelmed, hence the need to introduce maternal health services at other council-run clinics,” she said.
Disability rights advocate Nyasha Mahwende said women with disabilities travelled long distances to health centres to access maternal health services.
“Imagine what an expectant mother with disability has to go through to access maternal health facilities. So we are just saying to duty bearers at the city council, please make sure that maternal health services are re-introduced at council clinics where we used to access them,” she said.
“Surely picture a pregnant woman in a wheelchair or crutches having to travel a long distance to get these services.”
In response, ward 6 councillor, Lovemore Choto, said council prioritised residents’ access to health services in its budgets.
“Right now, plans have been put in place to turn Mkoba 18 liquor off-sale into a clinic. We will also make efforts to ensure your concerns that clinics such as Mkoba 1 should offer maternal health services are taken on board,” he said.
Council has several clinics dotted around the city, but only two, Mkoba Polyclinic and Mtapa Clinic, offer baby delivery services.
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