Women Coalition on Wednesday staged a peaceful demonstration at Parirenyatwa’s Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital protesting against the death of a 30-year-old woman who died in labour amidst allegation of negligence by the nurses at the referral institution.
The demonstration comes as doctors are on industrial action since September 3, citing poor working conditions and eroded salaries and allowances as inflation continues to gallop due to the local currency’s losing value against the United States dollar.
Sharon Munyono died after induced labour on August 30 from internal bleeding according to the post-mortem report, further bringing the fore the untold suffering ordinary people are going through as industrial action by doctors.
WCoZ chairperson Ronika Mumbire said as women they were saddened the collapsed health delivery system and negligence, which was heavily affecting woman who bear the brunt of poor health delivery system while giving birth.
“We are really saddened by the health system in Zimbabwe, as women, we are the ones who bear the brunt of looking after the children when they are sick, we bear the brunt of getting into complicated delivery, so we are really concerned and we call upon the powers that be in the ministry to take this as a matter of urgency. As stated in the Constitution, every citizen has the right to quality health delivery,” Mumbire said.
Women Action Group director Edinah Masiyiwa echoed the same sentiments saying they were angered by the increasing deaths of mothers giving birth at public health institutions.
“The health situation in Zimbabwe has gone beyond decline, we no longer have a health delivery system, hence we have come to express our anger and mourn the deceased women and children.”
Munyono’s husband, Taurai Matsiwe, expressed grief over the death of his wife saying she died because negligence by nurses and regrets the decision of taking her to the hospital.
“I am saddened by the death of my wife. It will take me a long to find another wife, considering the love we shared. I am now lonely and my children now lack mother love. I was shocked seeing my wife dead with her pregnancy, I wish she had died while at home or having operated to show that the nurses were putting efforts,” he said.
Matsiwe added that he was saddened by the post mortem results, which revealed that his wife suffered three litres internal bleeding before her death.
Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate is 614 out of 100 000 according to Unicef report published in 2014, as the country does not have reliable statistics.
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BY CAROLINE NYAMAYARO\RUTENDO BAMU
