Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Dr. Joseph Katema says members of the public especially women should consider taking up family planning as it is a good reproductive health practice. Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Dr. Joseph Katema says members of the public especially women should consider taking up family planning as it is a good reproductive health practice.
Dr. Katema said this when he presented gifts comprising of baby hampers and prams to the University Teaching Hospital, (UTH) Christmas babies on 25th December 2013.
Dr. Katema, who was dressed as Father Christmas took time to talk to the mothers of the babies and was happy that most of them had some knowledge on family planning.
“As I was giving the presents, I was asking the mothers questions like how many children they have, the spacing in between their children and all that. I found out that most had spaced between four to five years. This is very encouraging as most of our women are now able to access reproductive health services,” he said.
The minister urged the mothers to take care of their children as they were the future leaders adding that they would be drivers of economic development of the country.
“I have come here to welcome the new citizens of Zambia……… it is a tradition to share on Christmas day and it is my privilege to welcome the new citizens of this country,” Dr. Katema added.
A mother to the first born Christmas baby at the hospital Phenenty Mulambe said she was grateful for the kind gesture shown by the minister and also thanked God for her newly born baby boy.
UTH has recorded 39 Christmas babies of which 22 are males and 17 females.
Meanwhile, a Luangwa District woman has been left stranded after giving birth at Zambia’s highest referral hospital UTH.
Grace Mumba of Luangwa’s Lupansha area had initially brought her pregnant daughter Iread Phiri to UTH for delivery while she (grace Mumba) was eight months pregnant.
However, Ms. Phiri died before she could give birth and upon receiving the news that her daughter had died, Ms. Grace Mumba went into labour.
Ms. Mumba’s baby was wrapped in a blanket without clothes as she was not due.
She has since called on well-wishers to help her with transport and other logistical arrangements so that she could go back to her home village in Luangwa.
The body of her deceased daughter is lying in the UTH mortuary awaiting post-mortem.