At this hospital, in one of the poorest
countries in the world, the fine was said to be for 'raising a false alarm',
according to Transparency International.
Charities such as Medecins Sans Frontier run
maternity wards such as this one in Ivory Coast and in other developing
countries to help new mothers
Women who were unable to pay the fine were allegedly
kept in the hospital until their families could pay. Interest was also added to
the fines, according to the Washington Post.
Many mothers already avoid hospital deliveries in
the African nation because of the $50 cost, which is about the third of the average
$150 income.
In a country where nearly 95 per cent of the
population is unemployed after years of economic turmoil and corruption under
President Mugabe, and where one in eight women die in childbirth every day, the
fines could rob a woman of a year's salary.
A survey of Zimbabweans found 65 per cent believed
the country's medical services to be corrupt.
When Transparency International contacted Zimbabwe's
deputy prime minister, he ordered an investigation and since then no further
reports of fines have been made. However, the $50 delivery charge remains.
The campaign group has now set up workshops in
Zimbabwe to raise awareness about corruption and show citizens how to record
officials demanding bribes so they can provide evidence to the courts.
The maternity fines were exposed as the campaign
group released a global report showing that nearly a quarter of the world's
population has paid a bribe in the past year.
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The findings, based on surveys with 100,000 people
in more than 100 countries, found that the police and court systems were the
most prone to bribery, according to Slate.
The U.S. is included in the list of countries where
political parties were believed to be affected by corruption.
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