Minister links maternal deaths to Wash gaps

Minister of Health and Sanitation Madalitso Baloyi has attributed maternal and neonatal deaths to preventable causes linked to poor water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash) in health facilities. The minister, speaking in Lilongwe on Tuesday during the launch of a campaign to ensure that no woman gives birth without access to clean water, said maternal mortality stands at 224 deaths per 100 000 live births while neonatal mortality is at 24 per 1 000. Baloyi said that infections account for 24.8 percent of maternal deaths.

“These figures show that preventable causes are still claiming lives,” she said, linking the deaths to inadequate Wash in health facilities. Baloyi said poor Wash conditions increase the risk of infections among mothers, newborns and health workers. The minister said her ministry is strengthening policies, integrating Wash into health planning and mobilising resources, including the Constituency Development Fund to rehabilitate broken systems.

National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi executive director Chifundo Colleta Zimba said it is worrying that although 97 percent of women deliver in health facilities, conditions remain unsafe. “Both mothers and health workers are at risk due to poor sanitation,” she said, urging the government to fix faulty systems. WaterAid policy and communications manager Chandiwira Chisi said the campaign was informed by gaps observed in health facilities.

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He said WaterAid will work with stakeholders to end Wash challenges in health facilities by 2028. On his part, Malawi Health Equity Network executive director George Jobe called for coordinated efforts to achieve universal health coverage, while NGO-Gender Coordination Network executive director Maggie Kathewera Banda urged implementation of existing policies. Dubbed ‘Time to deliver’, the campaign will run until 2028.

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