Traditional medicine utilisation and maternal complications during antenatal care among women in Bulilima, Plumtree, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Background As part of the expectation enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals, countries are expected to ensure maternal health outcomes are improved. It follows that under ideal circumstances, pregnant women should deliver safely without complications, neonatal, and maternal mortality. This paper analyses the relationship between traditional medicine utilisation and maternal complications during antenatal care among women in Bulilima, Plumtree, Zimbabwe. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on 185 randomly selected women who responded to a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. The Fisher’s Exact Test and the Test of Proportions were used to probe the relationship between traditional medicine utilisation and the prevalence of maternal complications using STATA SE Version 13. Results Complications were reported by (51) 29% of the women who were under study. The proportion of women who developed complications was higher in those that did not use traditional medicine as compared to those that used traditional medicine (30 and 26% respectively). In a generalised assessment, women who did not use traditional medicine contributed a significantly higher proportion of complications as compared to those that utilised traditional medicine. Conclusion This study found a significant relationship between the utilisation of traditional medicines and lesser chances of experiencing maternal complications. Significantly higher prevalence of maternal complications was observed in women who did not use traditional medicine compared to those that did. There is, therefore, a need to investigate further the constituents or active ingredients in this traditional medicine. This study provides a window of opportunity for fully recognising and integrating traditional medicine into Modern Health Systems. It can be argued that traditional medicine utilisation could be a viable alternative to modern medicine, particularly in resource-poor settings where access to modern medicine is seriously constrained.

Traditional Practitioners and Nurses’ Perspectives on Traditional Medicine Utilisation During Antenatal Care in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe

“…28,29 The study noted that traditional practitioners could chase away evil spirits that usually make nurses have negative attitudes towards pregnant women affecting the delivery process. Some mechanisms of chasing evil spirits from the study are similar to studies conducted by Aziato et al 30 and Mudonhi and Nunu 31 who highlighted anointing oil, blessed water, sticker, blessed white handkerchief, blessed sand, Bible and Rosary. Furthermore, studies conducted in Islamic tradition revealed that prayer is a weapon to chase away evil spirits.…”

Use of herbal, complementary and alternative medicines among pregnant women in Makoni District, Zimbabwe

“…In spite of widespread national commitment to reducing maternal deaths and improving reproductive health in Zimbabwe (Mlambo et al, 2013), little information is available on the use of herbal medicines or CAM by pregnant women in Zimbabwe. Previous studies by Mawoza et al (2019) and Mudonhi & Nunu (2021) collected data on herbal medicines used during Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas / 633 pregnancy in Zimbabwe by interviewing pregnant women while the current study interviewed herbalists, traditional birth attendants, traditional healers, assistant traditional healers and herbal medicine vendors. Therefore, this study aimed at documenting CAM and herbal medicines used by pregnant women in Makoni district, Zimbabwe.…”

Towards the decriminalization of abortion in Zimbabwe: A public health perspective

“…Furthermore, no country should be left with a MMR of greater than double the global average [ 1 ]. For Zimbabwe, a country with one of the worst MMRs globally, estimated to be in excess of 450 maternal deaths (MDs) per 100 000 live births [ 2 ], a lot of work needs to be done to make reasonable progress towards attaining SDG3. Identifying the contributory factors and putting in place mitigatory measures is a key step in making progress towards resolving a challenge.…”