By Kuda Pembere
As Zimbabwe continues to face a high number of maternal mortalities due to complications like hypertension, parliamentarians have been urged to use the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Devolution Fund to support the construction and maintenance of maternity waiting homes.
Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Hon. Sleiman Kwidini made the call in the National Assembly while responding to a question from Hon. Tsitsi Murombedzi, who had expressed concern over the neglect of maternity waiting rooms.
The Zimbabwean Parliamentary Constituency Development Fund (CDF), introduced in 2010, was designed to support community-level development projects and improve service delivery across Zimbabwe’s parliamentary constituencies.
Last year, the government increased the CDF allocations from US$20,000 to US$50,000 to enable parliamentarians to carry out more significant development projects in their constituencies.
Thank you so much, Madam Speaker. I believe this is a new question. Anyway, we have not neglected the waiting mothers’ shelters as of now.
While we are still in the process of constructing, this is a new project aimed at reducing maternal complications,” said Hon. Kwidini.
“We also want to alleviate the problems faced by people in marginalized areas and those living far from health centers. However, as a Ministry, we have an open-door policy, and as His Excellency, the President, has mentioned, ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.’
This also applies to the Honorable Members in this House, who must also use their CDF funds to help the community by constructing mothers’ shelters.”
He continued, “They should also utilize the Devolution Fund, which is allocated through local authorities, to assist in constructing and maintaining these maternal shelters, especially those that have been neglected.
For now, this is a new project the Ministry is embarking on, and it is a noble idea, especially for expectant mothers who live far from health centers. I submit this proposal.”
Hon. Thokozani Khupe called for the formalization of waiting mothers’ shelters to ensure they are adequately budgeted for.
“I think that if this happens, we will see shelters being built across all provinces so that women do not face difficulties. There will be a conducive place for them to give birth.
You always say that when women give birth, they are performing a national duty,” she said. HealthTimes
