Handover Ceremony of a Modern Maternity Annex to St. Paul’s Mulungushi Community Rural Health Centre

　 　

　On 11th November 2016, Mr. Hidenobu Sobashima, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Zambia, handed over a modern maternity annex to St. Paul’s Mulungushi Community Rural Health Centre. This project was implemented through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project with the grant amounting to 89,298 US Dollars. Dignitaries present at this event included Ambassador Sobashima, Mr. Felix Mangwato, Central Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, and His Royal Highness, Chief Mukonchi.

　St. Paul’s Mulungushi Community Rural Health Centre has been providing basic medical services to about 8,000 people in 20 villages of Kapiri Mposhi District, Central Province, since its establishment in 1986.

　The Rural Health Centre has thus contributed to supporting local residents’ child delivery. However mothers and new-born babies had to stay in the same room, due to inadequate facilities, with only one delivery bed and five mothers’ beds. As a result, many mothers had to choose to deliver babies at home. Hence, the improvement of the delivery environment was hoped for.

　Under these circumstances, the Government of Japan has decided to support the construction of a modern maternity annex at the Rural Health Centre in Kapiri Mposhi District by the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects Programme. Through the implementation of this project, delivery rooms with 2 delivery beds, antenatal rooms and postnatal care rooms which have 10 beds each were constructed and necessary medical equipment was provided. The newly-constructed annex enables the safe delivery in an appropriate environment and enhances antenatal and postnatal health care services for mothers in this area. 

　　To read the speech made by Ambassador Sobashima at this ceremony, please click here.