Zambia: The government has constructed a Maternity Wing at Fourteen Miles Health Centre in Mufulira District. Mufulira Central Member of Parliament Golden Mwila announced the construction. The maternity wing will cater to the significant needs of the district’s new mothers.
The postnatal health of Zambia’s women is one of the major concerns for the country’s healthcare stakeholders. The national government is delighted to announce the initiative for new mothers.
Golden Mwila disclosed that the project includes a maternity wing, a mothers’ waiting shelter, an incinerator, and a borehole. The project has been built at a cost of K513,000 using the 2023 Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Mwila said the construction of the maternity wing has addressed an important challenge that this area has been facing in terms of access to health services. The initiative is especially significant for mothers, who would have easier and better access to healthcare facilities.
Previously, expectant mothers had to travel to distant hospitals to get proper prenatal and postnatal care. The authorities acknowledge the challenge and risk that comes with the long distances.
Thus, the construction of a maternity ward is extremely important for the safety and health of the new mothers.
“The maternity annex will be fully equipped and we will not have our mothers travelling to Ronald Ross or Kamuchanga hospital or being referred 20 kilometers away from here,” he said.
And Mufulira District Commissioner Saboi Kabika who commissioned the project urged residents to guard the facility from vandalism.
“The quality of work is really good so let us make sure these facilities we have put here are taken care of so that they can serve our communities for many years,” Ms Kabika said.
Residents thanked the government for the facility, saying women from the surrounding peri-urban areas had to cover long distances to access antenatal services.