Ideally, anyone who falls pregnant wants to have a baby. In reality, however, not all females who get pregnant want the baby at all, a development that is piling pressure on public hospitals that are already reeling with the problem of resource constraints. As BRENDA KAYO writes, things may just get worse.
For the many babies taking the first huff of oxygen in public and private hospitals in Malawi, there are many others that are ‘silenced’ before their first cry
And, if World Health Organisation projections are anything to go by, that means, for every 2,242 babies [live births] that are born on average per day, there are others that die silently, in wombs-turned-graveyards of would-be mothers.
In 2015 alone, and this is according to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, approximately 670,000 babies were born in Malawi, or around 1,800 every day.
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In a country where the under-five mortality rate is high, any loss of life is regrettable— even if, as at August 17 2023, Malawi’s population was regarded as growing unsustainably, at 20,931,751.
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The high under-five mortality rate notwithstanding, the country seems to be having another problem on its lap: Abortion cases.
The Ministry of Health has told Friday Shaker that it is worried over increased cases of unsafe abortion in the country.
The ministry’s spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said statistics at the ministry indicate that 35,790 girls and women carried out unsafe abortions in 2022 as compared to 32,771 in 2021.
“It is sad that there is a continued rise of unsafe abortion cases,” Chikumbe said, adding that 706 cases have already been recorded in Mzimba District from January to July this year.
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He said statistics released in Mzimba show that there are five cases of unsafe abortion for the age group of 10 to 14, and 210 cases for the 15 to 19 age group, with 221 cases in the 20 to 24 age group.
He also said 130 cases are from the 25 to 29 age group, 119 cases from the 30 to 39 age group and 21 cases from the 40 to 49 group.
Figures for unsafe abortion for all the districts for 2022 are as follows: Balaka 658; Blantyre 3,395; Chikwawa 1,469; Chiradzulu 335; Chitipa 362; Dedza 1,184; Dowa 1,278; Karonga 843; Kasungu 999; Likoma 108; Lilongwe 7,851; Machinga 1,222; Mangochi 889; Mchinji 774; Mulanje 907; Mwanza 545;Mzimba North 1,879; Mzimba South 1,299; Neno 161.
Others are Nkhata Bay 441; Nkhotakota 687; Nsanje 689; Ntcheu 645; Ntchisi 896; Phalombe 815; Rumphi 569; Salima 1,020; Thyolo 1,168; and Zomba 2,702.
Chikumbe did not explain driving factors behind increased cases of abortion and what the ministry is doing about it.
Recently, the Religious Leaders’ Network for Choice asked the National Assembly to debate and pass the proposed Termination of Pregnancy Bill into law.
Chairperson for the network, Reverend Canon Kalimbe, said members of Parliament should consider tabling the bill because it is a sexual reproductive and health rights issue which concerns women who, at times, “face moral and medical dilemmas”.
“Women should be empowered,’ Kalimbe said.
Senior Chief Kayembe from Dowa said the government should consider tabling the law because most women are using wrong ways of terminating pregnancy, which is leading to more deaths.
“Most affected women and girls are those that are in rural areas because they cannot afford to go to private hospitals and terminate the pregnancy. Sometimes, women die in the process,” Kayembe said.
