Nurses, and other caregivers and patients may laugh at a mother who arrives with an unbathed child.

“I was yelled at by the clinician for not taking the child for vaccination regularly, and this caused me not to return the following month.”

 

Angelina, another mother from a rural area in Zambézia, explained that nurses sometimes tell mothers to return home if their child is not bathed before a facility visit, noting that, “This happens all the time…[and] when it happens, everyone around them feels embarrassed by it.”

 

 

Getting the required health documents prepared in advance is also critical. Caregivers said that if a mother forgets the child’s vaccination card at home, health workers may send them back. This fear of judgment or rejection can discourage and demoralise caregivers from completing the vaccination process.

 

Finally, the caregiver must travel with the child to the health facility. Some caregivers are able to save enough money from selling food or other goods to pay for transport to the facility, while others may be brought to the facility by a relative on a motorbike or bicycle. For most caregivers, however, the only option is to carry the child and walk to the facility, even if it is 30 or 40 kilometres away. This journey is often over difficult and dangerous terrain, prompting many caregivers, the majority of whom are women, to try to travel in groups or seek accompaniment from a family member for safety.


Godfavour Nnadozie

27 Blog posts

Comments
Chinaecherem Alakwe 13 w

The best way to deal with this is to provide more health facilities that are closer to the villagers and caregivers.. A nicer approach from the health workers would go a longer way to help...
Thanks for this article

 
 
ego glory 40 w

nice one

 
 
ego glory 40 w

nice one

 
 
Adeleke Ajibola 44 w

Quite a fantastic

 
 
Olanrewaju Joseph rongbe 2 yrs

Nurses need to be more lenient