Every week, more than 100 babies die in Zambia as a result of mistakes made during childbirth, according to Sylvia Masebo, the country’s minister of health.
According to the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail, between 10 and 15 women die each week as a result of preventable complications during pregnancy or childbirth.
According to her, the majority of stillbirths, maternal deaths, and newborn deaths might be averted if experienced health personnel provided safe and excellent treatment.
She asked for “comprehensive health systems and community-based methods” to be implemented.
On Tuesday, the minister spoke at a World Patient Safety Day ceremony at University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital.
Ms. Masebo was elected minister of health in September, a month following President Hakainde Hichilema winning the elections and promising to fight corruption and fix Zambia’s economic problems.
The health ministry has been accused of corruption in the past, including the purchase of expired medications and substandard condoms.
Ms. Masebo has stated that she sees decentralization of health care as a solution to overcome these issues and deal with bureaucracy since accepting the job.
Staff at UTH informed her about some of the challenges they encounter in providing quality treatment during her visit.
She was told that the hospital’s kid’s ward owes local businesses more than three million Zambian kwacha ($170,000; £126,000) for pharmaceuticals delivered in 2019 – a year in which the institution got only three of its 12 monthly government payments.
The health ministry’s budget is heavily reliant on donor funds, health workers are underpaid and working conditions are so bad that it’s difficult to keep them, especially in rural areas.
Ms. Masebo announced earlier this month that the government wanted to hire more than 11,000 health staff.
It is unclear whether the salaries have been increased – and whether they will be sufficient to entice the over 700 competent doctors who are currently unemployed in the health industry due to low salaries to accept the offer.