Harare Central hospital is currently battling to contain swelling numbers of pregnant mothers at the back of a free maternal health initiative government embarked on early this year which has seen most expecting women sleeping on the floors.

During a tour of Harare hospital maternity wards on the side-lines of the handover ceremony of the refurbished maternity wards by the First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, not less than five women of different age groups were sleeping on the floors much to the shock of the first lady.
Acting permanent secretary in the ministry of health and child care, Dr Gibson Mhlanga said Harare hospital maternity ward has a carrying capacity of 100 women per any given time but was currently serving between 150 and 200 a number far above its limits.

“The government’s policy on free maternal health has seen women a lot of women seeking help at one of the country’s major referral centres, Harare Central Hospital and the influx and the influx is being driven by some council clinics that are still charging maternal fees,” said Mhlanga.

Harare central hospital maternity ward recently got a facelift from the First lady’s charity organisation, Angel of Hope in partnership with Splash Paints.

However, there could still be need to expand the maternity wards space so as to accommodate the ever growing numbers of pregnant women, with indications that some women are traveling as far as Murehwa and other nearby communal areas to deliver at the institution.

Government early this year also scrapped blood user fees for pregnant women and the move according to experts has also seen a spike in the number of women seeking services at the public institutions.

-Health Times