The Ministry of Health in Chipata says 135 new-born babies died at birth while fifteen women died during pregnancy in the district last year.
Chipata District Medical Officer, Davie Simwaba says this was due to women not accessing health care services at the hospital and preferring to deliver from their homes.
Dr. Simwaba was speaking yesterday during the official opening of a maternity wing, which has been constructed at a cost of about 220 thousand Kwacha by ACRA-CCS Zambia at Kasenga Clinic in Chipangali Constituency.
He says out of 100 pregnant women, only 53 delivered their babies from the hospital while 71 were accessing antenatal care in various health facilitates.
Dr. Simwaba says the attitude of women delivering from home should now be a thing of the past with the coming of a maternity wing at Kasenga clinic.
And Dr. Simwaba says Kasenga maternity wing has been equipped with two delivery beds and an ultra sound machine.
And ACRA-CCS Zambia Project Manager, Enrico Corette says his organization is ready to assist end maternal mortality rate and urged women to utilize the facility.
Meanwhile, Kasenga clinic midwife, Cleopatra Njobvu says the maternity wing will go a long way in assisting pregnant women deliver from the hospital because the current one is too small.
And speaking at the same function, Headman Mundishi, Adamson Banda asked the organization and government to expand Kasenga clinic because it is small for the big population in the area.