Malawi Broadcasting Corporation reporter Frank Kandu speaks with Dr. Frank Taulo of the Gogo Chatinka Maternity Wing at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.
Dr. Taulo talks about the current state of the ward and what are some of the challenges he and his staff are facing to provide care to pregnant women, new mothers, and newborn babies.
Proper care of pregnant mothers during delivery is one of the main measures in fighting preterm deaths.
It is for this reason that in Malawi pregnant women are encouraged to deliver babies either in a hospital or clinic where they are expected to get expert care.
However a visit to Gogo Chatinkha Maternity wing of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre gives a picture on why the country leads in preterm deaths in the world.
According to the United Nations (UN) Malawi has the highest rate of preterm births in the world such that today, 17 babies will be born who will not live until the following day.
Blantyre district with a population of about 1 Million has no district hospital and Queen Elizabeth Central hospital also carters patients from most parts of Southern Malawi.
The Gogo Chatinkha Maternity wing delivers about 24 babies daily, but the situation could have been better.
On a daily basis, about 100 women go to the wing seeking various antenatal needs.
However the challenges are too many as I heard from gynecologist Dr. Frank Taulo. “Queens is a referral hospital, it also works as a district hospital and a health centre so all the things that are supposed to be done at a district hospital and clinic are then done at Queens.
“On a daily basis we do not less than ten caesarian sections. On a daily basis we operate not less than ten gynecological problems and every day we have to take not less than ten women who go for D and C.
Dr. Taulo says the Wing’s theatres then take about 30 women daily, a figure too high for the structure.
“Caesarean section takes about an hour, gynecology takes about two hours so if you calculate the number of hours spent on one patient, then we need about five operational theatres but we only have two.
The gynecologist says women and babies have died at the wing due to delay in accessing medical help.
“We have lost babies because of mothers waiting to access medical help in the engaged theatres. You find that this pregnant woman is waiting for another woman to come out of theatre but because there is no space, the baby will die inside , the mother will bleed a lot in the corridors, a woman will have a womb rupturing just because there is no theatre space.
Dr. Taulo who is also part of a 14 member committee called “Friends of Gogo Chatinka”a grouping which propagates for improved service delivery at the wing by raising funds that are used in improving the structure and working environment said it is good that problems faced at the maternity wing are exposed so that help can come forth.
The committee was formed in the 1980s and so far has made significant contribution to the Gogo Chatinkha maternity wing through procurement of equipment, supplies and renovating some of the wards