MEC opens maternity homes in Province

WITH AN increase in the maternal and child mortality rate in the John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) district, two maternity waiting homes (MWH) have been opened at the Kuruman and Tshwaragano hospitals.

MEC for Health, Lebogang Motlhaping, accompanied by officials from JTG Municipality and representatives from BHP Billiton, yesterday open the facilities which are aimed at assisting pregnant women who do not have access to reliable transport or stay who very far from a health facility and are thus unable to reach a hospital or community healthcare centre for safe delivery.

According to spokesperson for the provincial Health Department, Lebogang Majaha, the partnership started with the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), funded by BHP Billiton Sustainable and the Department of Health in 2011 with a focus on early childhood development in the first 1 000 days of life (from birth until two years) in the JTG district.

“The objectives are to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality as well as empower communities to improve health, especially child bearing women, neonates and children,” he explained.

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During last week’s budget speech of his department, Motlhaping highlighted that a study was conducted in this district.

“It identified that one of the challenges impacting on maternal health was related to a low level of socio-economic development as a result of several factors outside the health sector,” he said.

“On the maternal and childhood mortality rate, this district saw a slight increase in the 2015/2016 financial year with maternal deaths in facilities increasing from 54.7