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giving birth at home and was angered by the unpleasant treatment her sister received.
This experience remained so transfixed in her mind that she made a conscious decision to specialise in midwifery after completing her General Nursing training.
Mrs Chokuda’s experience includes working at mission hospitals, government hospitals and city council clinics.
She assisted in the setting up of maternity units at St Mary’s clinic in Chitungwiza, Rutsanana clinic in Glen Norah and the Glenview city clinic.
Upon retiring, she joined Queen of Peace Maternity in 2001.
“I really enjoy my work,” said Mrs Chokuda.
“What I like most is the miracle of child birth, that never ceases to amaze me and it is the reason why I keep on working.”
According to Mrs Chokuda, being able to recognise and refer all cases with complications to doctors and other higher levels of care, is one of the means to a successful career as a midwife and saving the lives of mothers.
She emphasised the need for midwives and doctors to establish a good working relationship in order to establish a formidable team against maternal mortality.
“A midwife should always keep a close eye on all women who come to deliver, because one never knows when complications can occur.
“At one time a patient who had two previous caesarean sections came to the hospital when she was already in labour.
“I immediately contacted the doctor on duty and the woman was taken to theatre.
“When the caesarean section was done, her uterus was already tearing but we managed to save both the mother and the baby,” she said.
If Mrs Chokuda had delayed in notifying the doctor, both the mother and the baby could have died in the process.
“Another patient came to the clinic bleeding profusely. We could not immediately do a caesarean section until we had given her about 4 litres of blood.
“With the amount of blood she had lost, the odds seemed to be against us and the best we were hoping for was to save the mother.
“However, we managed to save both the mother and the baby. This was a miracle,” she added.
One of the key causes of maternal mortality in Zimbabwe is haemorrhage. Bleeding and the failure of a pregnant woman to access blood in time can lead to the death of both the mother and the baby.  Mrs Chokuda urged all midwives to be patient.
“I say to midwives, be patient with the mothers and the new born. Scolding pregnant women or being rude is unethical in midwifery practice. The midwife should develop a trusting relationship with pregnant women and must have a patient heart.”
She also encourages all pregnant women to go for HIV testing and to book early for ante-natal care.
“Knowing your HIV status is beneficial to yourself, the baby and the family,” she reiterated.
Mrs Chokuda describes midwifery as a vocation and advocates for more qualified midwives in Zimbabwe.