Hazel Marimbiza
If you think about times of crisis – whether it’s disease, displacement, or conflict -women and girls are often disproportionately affected. In this season the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown is having tragic effects on the health of women and girls around Zimbabwe’s rural communities. Some women and young girls have been cut off from sexual reproductive health rights services (SRHR) when nature calls.
Sithembile Maduna (24) lives in Bulilima District, 25 kilometres from the nearest clinic and her last visit to the health facility presented her with challenges.
“I went to the clinic which is 25 kilometres away, it was a challenge because I had to walk and upon arrival I was told by the health workers that they were only attending emergency cases because of the Covid-19 regulations. Since then
I have not visited the clinic,” said Maduna who is seven months pregnant.
Maduna is one of the many women whose access to SRHR services has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some of the women, who are due, have had to rely on unskilled traditional birth attendants for delivery although this has devastating costs for the baby or the mother.
“I managed to give birth with the help of an elderly birth attendant however, because of the transport situation I have not managed to visit the hospital” said Beatrice Chiwere who gave birth recently.
According to a health worker at a rural clinic in Bulilima District they have had challenges with expectant mothers seeking antenatal services.
“Since the beginning of the lockdown we have been attending to emergency cases where one might be having complications, but they have been very few. We have been turning away the rest of the women on the basis that we are understaffed as well as maintaining the Covid-19 regulations” said the health worker on condition of anonymity.
In rare cases where transport is available many expectant mothers and girls who do not afford the costs have to contend with motorists who take advantage of the situation by soliciting for sex.
According to Ekenia Chifamba, Director at Shamwari Yemwanasikana, a community based non-governmental organisation that seeks to promote the rights and empowerment of the girl child, the pandemic has left girls and women facing real risks in accessing SRHR.
“Girls and young women faced significant barriers in accessing essential sexual and reproductive health information and services before the Covid-19 crisis. Now, amid this pandemic they are forced to experience a real risk in accessing and enjoying SRHR.
“We have witnessed that in most cases, SRHR services had been left in the periphery of essential services accessed under lock down. Additionally with a strained health system, access to SRHR services becomes highly inaccessible,” said Chifamba.
She said the challenges brought by Covid-19 will lead to high cases of maternal deaths and will leave girls and women without essential contraceptives.
“While we are still learning about Covid-19 and how pregnancy may be affected by the virus, experience from past epidemics such as Ebola have shown that the shutdown of services unrelated to the outbreak resulted in more deaths than the disease itself.”
“Today, the secondary effects of Covid-19 threaten the health and lives of women and girls everywhere in the world.
We also notice the unavailability of free contraceptives which are the common methods used by rural women such as the pill, they are forced to buy these products from private suppliers. Hence the cost implications have also presented barriers to access.”
Chifamba said though her organisation has done radio programs campaigning and disseminating information on SRHR, there is need to provide mobile services for rural areas.
“There is need to provide mobile SRHR services to women and girls in hard to reach areas. Such interventions will help bridge the barriers to access at the same time reducing public crowding in health facilities in respect of the lockdown regulations” she said.
Cynthia Gwenzi, advocacy officer for Platform for Youth and Community Development, another community based organisation based in Chipinge, says contraceptives are being sold in foreign currency which is beyond the reach of many girls and women. “Women in Chipinge are facing a lot of challenges during this lockdown. Contraceptives are being sold in foreign currency and this is leading to unsafe sex and a number of unwanted pregnancies,” said Gwenzi
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General’s has emphasised that, all countries must strike a fine balance between protecting health, minimising economic and social disruption, and respecting human rights.
When health systems are overwhelmed, countries need to make difficult decisions to balance the demands of responding directly to Covid-19, while simultaneously engaging in strategic planning and coordinated action to maintain essential health service delivery. The provision of many services will become more challenging. Women’s choices and rights to SRHR, however, should be respected regardless of Covid-19 status.
