We Need More Media Focus on Maternal Health, says Advocacy Adviser

Journalists have been asked to prioritize reporting and highlighting issues affecting maternal health in Uganda.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), maternal mortality is 336 per 100,000 births and new born deaths.

This accounts for over 70% of the maternal deaths globally (99%) of which are in developing countries.

Herbert Mona, an Advocacy Adviser at White Ribbon Alliance-Uganda, said journalists have the capacity of changing and improving the status of maternal health in Uganda.

He said this can be done by giving the much-needed focus like that provided to political stories.

“I find it a bit of a missed opportunity that we as media people don’t use our platforms to do advocacy. This is a dream come true for me. That is why when we started working with White Ribbon Alliance to advance advocacy. I knew that we had to work closely with media to achieve this,” Mona said.

“It’s always very fundamental that the issues that affect mothers are addressed as part of maternal heath in this country.”

The call was made during the launch of the national and regional media campaign to promote Respectful Maternity Care.

The nationwide campaign will focus on districts of Jinja, Iganga, Kamuli and Masindi.

The project is supported by USAID through the Civil Society Strengthening Activity (CSSA).

Sarah Kizza Nsigaye, the Executive Director of Native Voices International, said the media can play a vital role in highlighting cases of disrespectful maternity while at the same time, supporting healthcare providers by drawing to the relevant authorities impediments that prevent them from delivering quality services.

She said when media coverage of maternity care is insensitive and inaccurate, enormous damage to the survival and wellbeing of millions of child-bearing women and their newborns, is at risk because women are discouraged from seeking facility-based care.

“We need to celebrate health providers that are saving lives through compassionate and professional birthing services as well as lobbying for resources and supplies that enable sufficient delivery of maternity and health services generally,” she added.