First Lady Monica Chakwera has stressed the need for newly constructed health facilities to include maternal and neonatal wings to allow women and children access proper health care services.
Chakwera was speaking on Monday during an official opening of Nguluwe Health Post constructed with funds from Constituency Development Fund (CDF) with support from European Union (EU) in Traditional Authority (TA) Malili in Lilongwe.
Nguluwe Health Post has been built without a maternity wing.
“This facility will not be able to handle all maternal services as women with complications will still be referred to the nearest facilities which are very far to reach them,” she lamented.
She decried the 21 kilometers women and children walk to access maternal and neonatal services from Malingunde, Likuni and other nearest government hospitals such as Bwaila and Chitedze, which are 30 kilometers away.
According to her, it is the plan of government led by President Lazurus Chakwera to provide essential health services within 5 kilometers radius as stipulated in the Health Sector Strategic Plan.
Madam Chakwera therefore pleaded with the District Commissioner’s office, Member of Parliament for the area and other stakeholders to consider constructing a fully fledged maternity wing so that women of the area access all maternal services.
Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said the facility will soon be a fully fledged health centre with a maternity wing.
“It is still a health post because we need to do a number of things for it to qualify as a health center like having a proper maternity wing which can take care the needs of women,” she said.
MP for Lilongwe South West Jean Sendeza said the opening of a facility is a dream come true for people of Malili as it has taken them almost 17 years without accessing the services.
“We are all happy that people can now afford to access government health services near them,” she said.
According to her, the construction of the post started in 2006 and was abandoned.
“But now with the increase of CDF, it has been completed and now ready for use.”
Mollen Chimphipi, a 19-year-old resident of Nguluwe area, expressed gratitude to government for bringing health services near them.
“We used to take a bicycle taxi to access health services at nearest facilities and pay for them,” she said.
Nguluwe Health Post has a catchment population of over 19, 000.
