Power Cuts, Lack of Resources Hamper Maternal Care at Thaba-Tseka Health Centre
THABA-TSEKA – Midwives at Thaba-Tseka Health Centre say they are sometimes forced to improvise while delivering babies during electricity outages because the facility has no generator, underscoring the urgent need for improved resources to strengthen maternal and adolescent health services.
Registered Nurse Midwife Mohlomi Rannyama, who has worked at the health centre since 2013 said electricity outages become more frequent during bad weather. “When power goes off, we have no generator, so we improvise while assisting women in labour.”
He said the absence of accommodation for midwives within the health centre further complicates service delivery.
“There are no residences for midwives inside the health centre, so we live some distance away. We used to have transport that collected midwives from their homes whenever they were needed but that service no longer exists,” Rannyama said.
He also highlighted the absence of an adolescent corner at the facility, despite the district experiencing high rates of early and unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unsafe abortions.
He said establishing an adolescent-friendly space would enable young people to access sexual and reproductive health information and services in a safe, confidential environment.
Senior Nurse at Thaba-Tseka Health Centre, Palesa Ntlopo said the facility has identified several needs to improve both maternal and adolescent healthcare.
She said the proposed adolescent corner would require a television, Wi-Fi and a laptop to support health education, counselling and other youth-friendly services.
Ntlopo added that the health centre also needs additional delivery beds, a stove to keep delivery rooms warm during the cold season, a refrigerator and reliable transport for nurses responding to maternity emergencies.
The concerns were raised during a monitoring visit by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners, who returned to the facility to follow up on commitments made during an earlier visit.
UNFPA Country Representative John Kennedy Mosoti said the organisation has already procured six beds for pregnant women using maternity waiting homes and continues to support the establishment of adolescent corners across the country.
“As a takeaway from this visit, we will explore the possibility of requesting park homes for nurses,” Mosoti said.
He explained that this was the second visit to the health centre, aimed at assessing progress and following through on promises made during the first engagement.
