ADECOTS urges expectant mothers to attend antenatal care clinics

By Raphael Likaka

The Applied Development Communication and Training Services Organization (ADECOTS) has urged women to begin attending antenatal care clinics as soon as they discover that they are pregnant.

Head of Programs for ADECOTS Bettie Chumbu, said this at Lambulira Trading Center in the area of Senior Chief Chikowi in Zomba District, during an awareness campaign involving traditional leaders, women, and surrounding communities. 

ADECOTS is currently implementing a project called; “Zikutivuta Pati?” (Where are we struggling?) which aims to raise awareness among expectant mothers about the importance of attending antenatal care once they realize they are pregnant. 

The project also encourages people to seek medical treatment at the hospital when they are sick and the project is supported by UNICEF.

Chumbu explained that the organization launched the “Zikutivuta Pati?” project after realizing that, following recent disasters in Malawi, many people had stopped going to health facilities for treatment, vaccinations, and antenatal care.

She said that by the end of this project, the goal is for everyone to take responsibility for going to the hospital when sick, and for every expectant mother to attend antenatal clinics as soon as they know they are pregnant.

“The project we are working on is a Disaster Response Project, which aims to change mindsets so that people seek medical help and make use of the health services available,” she said.

In her remarks, Community Health Nurse Pepsy Nangwale from the Zomba District Health Office (DHO) said many women fail to start antenatal care clinics early due to the long distances to health facilities and a lack of necessary items, such as enough wrappers (cloth) and other essential items. 

She also noted that some women fear attending antenatal care clinics because their pregnancies are the result of relationships with their husbands, sometimes outside of marriage or in secrecy.

Nangwale added that the Malawian government has set a standard that expectant women should attend antenatal care at least eight times before giving birth, to allow for continuous monitoring by health professionals.