Expectant women at Nyambi Health Centre in Machinga district have expressed concern over appalling conditions at the facility’s Maternity Waiting Room.

One of the women, Jenifer Mustapha told the media during their tour at the facility that the room does not have beds, beddings and mosquito nets.

According to her, the room is also heavily infested with ticks and mosquitos.

“We are suffering here. Due to ticks and mosquitos we spend the night scratching our bodies. We normally sleep and we have body pains every day,” Jenifer said.

She said the lack of mosquito nets is subjecting them to the risk of contracting malaria.

Apart from terrible conditions inside the room, YFM online also established that the building is too old thereby putting the lives of the expectant mothers at risk.

Spokesperson for Machinga District Health Office (DHO), Clifton Ngozo expressed surprise on the reports that the room does not have mosquito nets.

Ngozo said every facility is required to provide mosquito nets to pregnant women to protect from contracting malaria.

Ngozo said his office will follow up the issue to make sure that the pregnant mothers are accessing quality healthcare.

The four day tour took a group of journalists from YFM, Zodiak, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Malawi News Agency (MANA) and The Nation to a number of areas in Machinga and Dedza districts.

The tour was organized by Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) under Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) Social Accountability project, with financial support from United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).

The project is being implemented in partnership with Parent and Child Health Initiative (PACHI) and Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) in Nkhata Bay, Machinga, Dedza, Zomba and Dowa.