Survey: Malawian women fear child bearing

Some Malawian women have stated that child bearing is no longer joyful for them following harsh treatments from fellow female nurses during labour. They have requested for the services of male attendants during birth.

“They do insult us and sometimes beat us up. We opt to be attended by a male nurse or midwife because they treat us kindly, with respect and dignity,” Asiyatu Ibrahim, 46, a mother of five from Che Mbaluku in Mangochi said.

She stated that she was overwhelmed by a male nurse’s empathy during her fifth child's delivery. "My experience was totally different from previous deliveries whereby I was treated harshly,” she said adding, “In fact during my third pregnancy I was even slapped on the face by a nurse for failing to follow her instructions due to severe pain.”

Malawi’s Principal Secretary for Health Chris Kang’ombe attributed the poor nurse-patient relation to pressure as a result of staff shortage in public hospitals.

“To deal with the problem government has laid strategies to recruit more health workers including nurses and midwives with support from the donor community. This is spelt out in pillar number six of the Sector Wide Approach (Swap),” he said.

He said his outfit welcomes such criticisms because patients have the right to be treated with respect and dignity.

Rose Wasiri, a Principal for St Joseph College of Nursing in Chiradzuru said no nursing school or college teaches nurses and midwives the art of ill-treating patients including pregnant women. "Instead they are taught to treat patients with great care, compassion, respect and dignity," said Wasiri.

"Safe motherhood is a collective responsibility. For instance men's involvement in caring for expectant women could contribute tremendously in the reduction of infant and maternal deaths in this country," said Masepuka.