HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY HAS IMPROVED – PS

By Sandra Machima in Lusaka

THE Ministry of Health is committed to improving maternal health services in the country, according to Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy Lishimpi.

Dr. Lishimpi, in an interview with The Scoop, emphasized that access to maternal services remains a priority. The government has begun constructing maternity annexes and advanced comprehensive facilities to enhance maternal services and overall healthcare.

The modern maternity annexes will cater to the growing healthcare needs of the community, providing a safe and comfortable environment for expectant mothers to receive prenatal care, deliver their babies, and receive post-natal care.

Efforts have led to increased skilled birth attendance, enhanced maternal education, and a reduction in maternal mortality to ensure the safety of both mother and child.

Dr. Lishimpi mentioned a reduction in maternal mortality in Zambia due to the interventions put in place to ensure safe motherhood.

The Ministry is making progress as it plans to have more than 18000 new employees by the end of this year, with 4000 already recruited to improve healthcare.

“Our maternal priority areas are firmly rooted in this commitment to improving access to maternal services, increasing skilled birth attendance, enhancing maternal education, and reducing maternal mortality,” Dr. Lishimpi stated.

Collaboration with institutions such as Lusaka Apex Medical University (LAMU) in its Safe Motherhood Study Team has been crucial in advancing efforts to save mothers’ lives and improve the quality of care for pregnant women across Zambia.

The study will provide a clearer understanding of the maternal health challenges faced at both facility and community levels.

The Ministry, alongside Lusaka Apex Medical University, organized a Safe Motherhood prioritization meeting aimed at enhancing maternal health in the country.

“This work aligns with the Ministry of Health’s priority areas, particularly in our efforts to reduce maternal mortality and improve emergency obstetric and newborn care. The study’s focus on improving antenatal care and training interventions aligns perfectly with our goals of enhancing skilled birth attendance and addressing maternal nutrition,” said Dr. Lishimpi.

He emphasized that every woman in Zambia should have access to quality healthcare, and no woman should die while giving birth.

He stressed the importance of promptly identifying and addressing maternal health issues, rather than reacting to them late.

“We are committed to using the insights generated from this study to strengthen our policies, expand community involvement, and ultimately reduce maternal deaths in Zambia,” he said.

Lusaka Apex Medical University CEO and Principal Investigator Professor Peter Mwaba expressed that the study would help address maternal health in the country and that they were working with the Ministry of Health to strategize on how to improve the health system in Zambia.

He said the main aim of the Safe-motherhood study was to improve quality of maternal healthcare in Zambia as the country still  faces significant challenges in maternal and neonatal health.

According to the safe motherhood study for  2024-2026, maternal mortality rate stand at 252 per 100,000 live births, Neonatal mortality rate is 27 per 1,000 live births and weekly deaths of women recorded stand at 10 to 15 from preventable complications.

The learning institution embarked on a safe motherhood study to reduce maternal mortality in line with Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.1, which requires all nations to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, and Sustainable Development Goal 3.2, aimed at ending preventable deaths of newborns with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1000 live births.

Zambia National Health Strategic Plan 2022-2026 targets to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to 100 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2026.

The team, comprising specialists in Biostatistics, Data Management, Epidemiology, Health Promotion, Midwifery, Monitoring and Evaluation, Nursing, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Pediatrics, embarked on the study to improve access to maternal health services, strengthen skilled birth attendance, enhance maternal health education, reduce maternal mortality rates, improve emergency obstetric and newborn care, strengthen data collection and reporting, and increase community involvement.