Mitchell Dzoro
Higherlife Foundation has handed over vital equipment to improve maternal and neonatal services to three major hospitals,, namely Sally Mugabe, Parirenyatwa and Mpilo Central.
The organisation selected these hospitals for prioritization due to their high volume of deliveries, new births stemming from their status as referral centers, the availability of specialized staff, and the presence of supporting infrastructure, as stated in their announcement.
In a statement by Higherlife Foundation, they said all the machines that were handed to these hospitals aims at improving the quality of care given to newly born babies and the mothers.
“The equipment, which includes continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, suction machines, monitors, jaundice meters, and photo-therapy machines, is expected to improve the quality of care given to mothers and newborns during some of their most vulnerable times.”
“Most newborn deaths occur during the first week of life, predominantly due to preterm birth, birth asphyxia and neonatal sepsis, for mothers in Zimbabwe, 86% of maternal deaths occur due to a delay in receiving adequate care after reaching a health facility. Most maternal deaths are caused by postpartum haemorrhage, eclampsia, and sepsis, among others,” read the statement.
Higherlife Foundation Country Director Mr Philani Nyatsanza said the organization remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the Government of Zimbabwe to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in the country.
“Since 2020, Higherlife Foundation has grown our focus and efforts in maternal health by training doctors and nurses, funding equipment and maintaining it. This donation is a continuation of this effort,” Mr Nyatsanza said.
Higherlife Foundation highlighted how Zimbabwe is continuing to make progress towards improving services for expectant mothers and babies, making reference to 2022 census, which showed the maternal mortality ratio is estimated to be 362 per 100,000 live births and under-five mortality was sitting at 39.8 deaths per 1,000 live births and both figures have been falling since 2019.
“More still needs to be done if Zimbabwe is to meet sustainable development goals for maternal and neonatal mortalities at 70 per 100,000 live births and 12 per 1,000 live births,” the statement read. “The improvement of maternal health services should be a shared responsibility between Government, private sector and non-profit organisations,” read the statement.
Since 2020, Higherlife Foundation has funded delivery of emergency obstetric training to almost 4,600 clinical and non-clinical maternity staff in 16 hospitals across the country, with a further 1,500 set to be trained this year. The organization has also placed equipment in maternity wards in 16 hospitals, which it maintains to date.
Over the past two years, Higherlife Foundation has invested in training nearly 4,600 clinical and non-clinical staff working in the maternity departments of 16 hospitals nationwide on emergency obstetric care.
The organisation intends to expand this initiative further by educating an additional 1,500 personnel this year. Moreover, Higherlife Foundation has equipped the maternity wards of those 16 hospitals with necessary medical equipment, which they continue to service and maintain.