70 home births in Bulawayo in two months a cause for concern
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BULAWAYO recorded over 70 home births in two months with reports suggesting that these may result in the country failing to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals on reducing maternal and neonatal deaths.
Reasons behind the risky decision to deliver at home without skilled personnel vary from high ambulance service fees, maternity fees and poor health-seeking behaviour from pregnant teenagers.
Some women have also delivered at home as they could not afford to timely commute to public hospitals where maternity fees were scrapped.
According to recent council minutes, 72 babies were born before arrival at council clinics in September and October this year.
The same report shows that the number of women who do antenatal care visits also went up.
“We recorded 38 born-before-arrival deliveries in September, the figure went slightly down to 34 in October. There was an increase in the number of new and repeat antenatal care visits compared to the previous month, from 1 054 to 1 098. The number of deliveries also increased slightly from 301 to 309 in October,” read the minutes.
