Women fined for giving birth at home

TRADITIONAL leaders in Eastern Province are now penalising pregnant women who give birth from home or delay to go to health facilities.

The move is to reduce the alarming number of maternal deaths in the province. Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Bulleti Nsemukila recently disclosed that the province had continued recording deaths of mothers while giving birth. Dr Nsemukila attributed this to delay by expecting mothers to reach health facilities as one of the contributing factors. Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni speaking people’s Secretary Dennis Nkhuwa said the traditional leader has put up a rule in his area that any Pregnant Mother who give birth at home must pay a goat as a fine to the health facility. Mr Nkhuwa said expectant mothers should spend at least five hours and above at the health facility before giving birth for them not to face penalties. “In an effort to reduce cases of mothers losing lives while giving birth, men whose wives give birth at home or deliver within four hours after being taken to a health facility are made to pay a goat,” Mr Nkhuwa said. And Chief Mphamba of the Tumbuka-speaking people of Lundazi has warned expectant mothers who are still giving birth from home to stop or risk being punished. The traditional leader said with the increased levels of maternal death cases being recorded in the province he would soon come up with stiffer punishment for women delivering from home. He indicated that the so far women, who do not deliver from health facilities, were made to pay a goat as a way of deterring would be offenders. The chief said so far with the help of community healthy volunteers most women have realized the importance of giving birth from health facilities. He noted that despite sensitisations being done, some women still don’t see the need to give birth from health facilities but were now forced to do so for fear of being fined.