Editor,

Last Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Dr. Richard Sezibera, while visiting the Southern Province, said that men too should be held responsible for maternal mortality.

He reasons that men at times refuse to facilitate and  encourage their spouses to go and attend ante-natal check-ups.

I find this completely wrong. I am married with two children and during the tough times of my wife’s pregnancy, I force her to go for these check ups.

This may sound unbelievable but there are a good number of women out there who still think that these medical check-ups are not good for their babies.

I always push her to go for them simply because I know that it is good for the mother and the un-born to be examined constantly by health workers.

Women too should be held responsible for these maternal deaths otherwise we will not take the blame all the time.

Southern Province