Expectant mothers in the Hara Health Centre catchment area in Karonga District are expected to benefit from improved access to maternity services following the completion of a maternity wing that was started in 2015 but has since remained unused.
Director of Health Services for Karonga District Council, David Sibale, said the project, valued at over K500 million under the reformed Constituency Development Fund (CDF), will reduce the need for pregnant women to travel long distances to Chirumba or Sangiro to access delivery services.
Sibale made the remarks on Monday during the handover of the project site to a contractor who will complete the maternity wing and construct a staff house.
The project also includes supporting facilities such as an ash pit and an incinerator to improve healthcare service delivery.
He said the health centre serves 11,908 people, including 2,739 women of childbearing age, with approximately 1,786 pregnancies expected annually in the catchment area.
Khawa Ward Councillor Molson Chirambo hailed the project, thanking President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika for CDF, which he said had helped facilitate the completion of the long-awaited maternity wing.
Group Village Head Chimphinga also welcomed the development, saying it would ease the burden on expectant mothers who previously travelled long distances to access maternity services.
By George Mponda, MANA
