Marythar Kambinda
KATIMA MULILO - Expectant mothers, who used to struggle for accommodation when the time to deliver approaches, can now breathe a sigh of relief following the inauguration of a new shelter at Katima Mulilo.
The Katima Mulilo Mothers’ Waiting Shelters was inaugurated last week Thursday by former first lady Penehupifo Pohamba. The shelter, which accommodates up to 80 pregnant women, was built by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, in partnership with the Social Security Commission, and forms part of three waiting shelters to be constructed by the SSC nationwide to the tune of N$30 million.
Pohamba pointed out that expectant mothers of new-born babies are often forced to take shelter in temporary makeshift structures, or even in open spaces and under trees next to hospitals while waiting to get maternal care.
She added the deplorable unhygienic conditions where cooking and ablution facilities are non-existent, expose expectant mothers to diseases due to lack of sanitation and harsh weather conditions.
“The lack of safer and decent shelters for expectant mothers subjects them to risk of snake and insect bites and all manners of criminality. This shelter will greatly benefit our target community, which is our expectant mothers and mothers of newborn babies, providing them with the opportunity to be closer to maternal care,” she said.
SSC board member Henry Bruwer stated that at the heart of the commission’s mandate is the provision of social security and social protection to reduce poverty and inequality.
“These are the factors that draw desperate women to squat under trees, risking their own safety just to be near a health facility,” he said.
In a speech read on his behalf by Zambezi governor Lawrence Sampofu, urban and rural Development Erastus Uutoni stated that the facility is an enormous gesture by the SSC, and will go a long way in resolving the challenges faced by women when it comes to accessing health facilities.
“This has often made it difficult for those that are in remote areas to access health facilities on time or when a need arises. Most importantly, to expectant mothers who might find themselves in unpredictable situations at times,” he said.
Meanwhile, minister of health Dr Kalumbi Shangula, in a speech read on his behalf by deputy executive director in the health ministry, Taimi Amaambo, stated that a mothers’ waiting shelter is a residential facility for pregnant women designed primarily as an intervention to improve geographic accessibility to emergency obstetrics and neonatal care. He noted that maternal death for the past five years in Zambezi region range from three to seven deaths per year, while neo-natal deaths range from 29 to 63 per year. “The majority of maternal deaths are preventable and treatable complications that take place before, during and after delivery,” he said.
Other speakers at the event applauded the gesture by the SSC, and called on the expectant mothers to utilise the facilities in order to ensure that the wellbeing of their unborn children is secured. The waiting shelter is also equipped with a multi-purpose room aimed at assisting expectant mothers to relax and take part in craft making and many other activities.