The construction of a Maternity Annex at Kaunga Rural Health Centre in Feira Constituency, Luangwa District valued at over K400, 000, using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), has brought joy to Kaluluzi Ward residents, particularly women, who have been facing maternity service challenges. Chikokola Village Headwoman, Salome Mwanza states that expectant mothers previously lacked a conducive delivery space due to privacy issues at the centre, which has only three rooms for all services, including maternity care. The media reports that Headwoman Chikokola stressed the sacredness of childbirth, where only authorised personnel should witness a woman during labour.
She described how women walked over 10 kilometres to Sinyawagora Health Facility or Katondwe Mission Hospital, leading to roadsidedelivery for some women or prolonged postpartum bleedingfrom physical exhaustion. “When a woman went into labour in the night, it was a great challenge to start looking for transport as we have few transporters or individuals in the area and the woman will end up delivering home,” she explains. Headwoman Chikokola says the annex, commissioned in August 2025 by Lusaka Province Minister, Sheal Mulyata, has prevented premature deaths and labour complications.
She commended the government for CDF, which she said is driving district development. Luangwa District Director of Health Services, Ikasaya Ikasaya says postpartum hemorrhage and near-miss cases have reduced since the annex’s opening. Dr Ikasaya explains that it is the Ministry of Health’s vision of no maternal death during delivery.
Read Full Article on Lusaka Times
[paywall]
“Usually what makes the health facilities record a maternal death is the delay by the expectant mother to rush to the health centre when the time is due, the delay to reach the health facility or the delay to be attended to by trained health care providers,” Dr Ikasaya clarified. He urged the community to avoid home deliveries which he described as risky, further encouraging women to use government provided facilities for safe delivery and healthy babies. Meanwhile, Feira Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Tembo praised the government’s decentralisation policy which has since brought services closer to communities.
[/paywall]
