* Apart from being a life-saving facility, this centre will also significantly improve the lives of women and children in the areas of T/A Makanjira, Lulanga, and Namabvi
* Whose population includes over 53,000 women of child-bearing age and over 46,000 children under the age of five
By Duncan Mlanjira
President Lazarus Chakwera launched the construction of Makanjira Centre for Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC), which he described as a perfect Mothers’ Day gift, saying it will surely save the lives of many because no woman should have to lose her life while birthing.
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“Even though the overall maternal mortality rates in Mangochi have dropped over the past five years, the rates here in T/A Makanjira and surrounding areas have remained high, accounting for 20% of the poor maternal and neonatal outcomes in the district,” he said on Monday at the groundbreaking ceremony of the facility.
“I therefore cannot think of a better Mother’s Day present to the Moms of Makanjira than to launch this project that. But apart from being a life-saving facility, this centre will also significantly improve the lives of women and children in the areas of T/A Makanjira, Lulanga, and Namabvi — whose population includes over 53,000 women of child-bearing age and over 46,000 children under the age of five.
“And the goal here is to increase both access and quality when it comes to healthcare service provision to these areas,” said the President, adding that this is his administration’s approach across the health sector, where he has either completed key health projects in several districts or where projects are under construction.
“I want to make something clear,” he said. “We are not here to launch this project as a mere show as has been the practice in the past — it is the policy of my Administration that no construction project be launched unless the material, monetary, and technical wherewithal for commencing works is well in hand and ready for execution.
“As such, my office will be monitoring this project closely to see that there is progress being made on time and on budget. These include health centres in Nancholi Blantyre, Makina Health Centre in Zomba and Chilinde Health Centre in Lilongwe.
“Additionally, we have health posts in Dedza, Mwanza, Neno, Phalombe, Thyolo, Mzimba and Ntchisi that are about to be completed.
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“Then there are also dilapidated health facilities in Chitipa, Dowa, Kasungu, Likoma, Balaka, Chikwawa and Mzimba that we are rehabilitating at the same time. We are doing all these things to put money where our mouth is when it comes to enabling the MW2063 vision, because we cannot turn Malawi into a wealthy nation without ensuring that Malawians are healthy citizens.”
He thus emphasized that it is not just general healthcare provision which his administration is investing in but is “mindful of the need to invest in the management of specific types of illnesses through the development of specialized facilities”.
“This is why we now have infectious disease treatment centres completed in Zomba and underway in Mzuzu, all at the same time that we are pursuing the completion of the Cancer Centre Project.
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“Similarly, we have several initiatives towards malaria control, immunization and reducing the overall disease burden that are being undertaken, including procurement and distribution of drugs, medical supplies, and key pieces of equipment.
“But as we make these investments in health, we need to pay close attention to the intersection between climate change events and health system capacities.
“It was just seven months ago that I was here with you at the Makanjira Community Centre during Operation Tigwirane Manja that I was leading across the country in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy.
“And I already noted at that time that not only must we continue seeking foreign investment into the construction of health and education facilities, but I also said that we would secure investment into building resilience to future climate shocks for the communities here, including the construction of the two roads that connect Makanjira and Malombe to the rest of the district.
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“We have already made a lot of progress in identifying the funding for this so that construction can start this coming year. In pursuit of our national interests in leveraging global resources for climate mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage for investment in our health sector, last month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, I met with the President of the World Health Organization and the President of the upcoming COP28.
“And I am delighted to report that for the first time in the history of this climate conference, there will be a special day just dedicated to the effects of climate change on health systems.
“And we as a nation will be given special attention for support because of the way last year’s cyclones Ana and Gombe triggered a nationwide outbreak of cholera and the way this year’s cyclone Freddy placed enormous pressure on our healthcare providers and facilities.
“These are opportunities for international support we will continue to put to good use, because we are already seeing the fruits of reaching out to international partners to support our plans for building health sector resilience across the country.”
He thus thanked “in a special way” the Government of Iceland, saying it not only supported with resources for this project, but it “has also made significant investments in the education, gender, youth, and water sectors, to the tune of no less than K16 billion in less than 10 years”.
And one thing I love about the way Iceland has structured its support is its alignment with our decentralization policy by trusting our local district councils to play their constitutional role as vehicles for development.
“So from the bottom of my heart, I say to the people of Iceland, thank you. You are an inspiring example to us as a nation, for yours is not a large nation, nor is it a populous nation, and yet in the 30 years that followed your independence in 1944, you transformed Iceland from a developing country dependent on foreign aid to a developed country contributing aid to other countries.
“So seeing officials from Iceland here is a reminder of the future that is possible for Malawi, a future in which we want the foreign aid we depend on today to become a thing of the past, a future in which the self-reliant nation we are aspiring to today will be seen transpiring tomorrow.
“We are blessed as a nation to have friends like these,” said the President.
Meanwhile, Head of Mission from Embassy of Iceland to Malawi, Inga Petursdottir described construction of the comprehensive emergency obstetrics and neonatal facility as a beacon of hope for over 120,000 inhabitants of Makanjira.
Pertursdottir said once completed, the facility will provide lifesaving services to mothers and children in Makanjira a hard to reach area of over 100kms away from Mangochi Boma.
‘‘The government of Iceland has been a steadfast partner to Malawi for 35 years with the guiding light of ‘leaving no one behind’, she said. “As such construction of Makanjira state-of-the-art maternity ward is a clear testimony to the effort of providing health care access to people living in hard-to-reach areas and is one of the pillar stones of Iceland funded health programming in Mangochi.
‘‘As Iceland government, we observed that communities in Makanjira were facing limited access to essential health services resulting in significant number of maternal and neonatal mortalities.
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“With an operating theatre, the mothers with obstetric complications will no longer have to seek services at Mangochi district hospital,” she said, adding that Iceland has previously supported Malawi in improving social service delivery in Mangochi with construction of maternity wing at Mangochi District Hospital, Monkey Bay Community Hospital, as well as construction of 28 health posts in rural areas.
Construction of the new Makanjira maternity will include a life-saving operating theatre, antenatal, labour and post-natal wards as well as a high dependency unit for newborns. Supporting buildings will be laboratory, ex-ray room, mortuary, office block and laundry room.
In his remarks, Senior Chief Makanjira thanked Chakwera for travelling on road from Mangochi Boma to the area, a distance of over 100kms , in order for him to appreciate the condition of the road — which is in bad state following the effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy that damaged most of bridges of the road.—Additional reporting by Bishop Witmos, MANA
