The Ministry of Health has revealed that Uganda has made tremendous achievements in reducing maternal deaths.
According to Dr Richard Mugahi, the Assistant Commissioner of Reproductive Health and head of the Corporate Society of Safe Motherhood (CSM), the Uganda Health and Demographic Survey done in 2016 puts Uganda’s maternal death at 336 per 100,000.
He made the remarks at the handover of equipment from partners led by Stanbic bank and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
He noted that the global targets (Global target is less than 70-100000) and the survey combine those in villages and health institutions.
Mugahi noted that currently, the country is registering tremendous progress at institutional births with 103- 84 /100000 mortalities at the facilities. He attributed this to the refurbishment and construction of new health facilities around the country.
He revealed that over the past two years, the government has equipped hospitals in the Kampala Metropolitan Area, which has reduced the delays mothers face coming to the health facilities.
“We have invested in upgrading and building more facilities in the country. Around 500 health facilities have been upgraded and constructed around the country,” he said.
He noted that decongesting of referrals and all health facilities has also improved service delivery in the different hospitals. Mugahi noted that most maternal deaths are recorded outside of health facilities.
Health institution births in Uganda account for 75% and 80% of births in government facilities. He noted that births in health institutions should be encouraged at all levels if the global targets are to be achieved.
The Executive Director of Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Byaruhanga, revealed that maternal deaths at the hospital have tremendously reduced.
He revealed that on average, the hospital delivers 70 mothers per 24hrs. This used to be 100 mothers per 24hrs. Kawempe Referral Hospital receives over 4000 pregnant women from all over the country every month.
Many of the women are from low-income households often unable to afford the best amenities required for safe deliveries. He said with decongesting the hospital and empowering Lower health facilities through the CSM program, they now deliver 60-40 mothers a day.
“This means our other units like the KCCA units are now working. Although we have not reduced the c-section rate that much, we do 28 c-sections a day. Previously, every day a mother is dying but this has reduced. In November alone, we lost 5 mothers. This is a big achievement from 32 a month to 5 mothers.”
Dr Byaruhanga called for concerted efforts to drastically reduce the statistics and help mothers.
Speaking as the Chief guest, Dr Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Uganda, called on partners to join the fight against maternal deaths in the country.
She also asked Ugandans to look at family planning as another form of decreasing the maternal deaths. Atwine lauded the private sector brands for promoting the spirit of ‘public-private sector partnerships’.
“We truly appreciate your act of corporate generosity which you have expressed through these gift-hampers to our staff at Kawempe hospital—it is a strong gesture of support and recognition of their effort to ensure both mother and baby leave this facility in good health. I especially thank Anne Juuko under whose leadership the Stanbic Bank led the ‘every mother and baby counts’ campaign to gain momentum over the last three years. It gives us much pleasure seeing many corporate entities here today, to further a cause that has put a smile on so many faces of expectant mothers across the year,” said Atwine.
In an explainer, Mugahi noted that the more you load the uterus, it raptures and loses elasticity, adding that this happens mostly after 5 or 6 births, “when it loses it refuses to contract which can lead to bleeding till death”.
Meanwhile, Workers of Kawempe Maternal Hospital received gift hampers worth millions of shillings in an appreciation gesture led by Stanbic Bank.
The hospital—Uganda’s largest maternal health facility, currently employs 655 including 125 medical interns, 50 cleaners, 40 security guards, 90 Senior Health Officials and 360 support staff.
At the same event, UCC handed over an electric CPAP and five parameter monitors while Stanbic Bank handed over a Bubble CPAP machine which provides respiratory support to neonatal patients.
Stanbic Bank Chief Executive, Anne Juuko, said, “As the rest of us prepare to break off work for the Christmas holiday, most of our health workers will stay on duty serving through the festive season just as they have done across the year—this is an appreciation gesture for all healthcare workers across Uganda, thank you.”
As part of its Corporate Social Investment, Stanbic Bank initiated the ‘Every Mother and Baby Counts’ campaign in line with goal number three of accelerating the decline of maternal mortality by 2030 under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Three years since we launched this campaign, it is a pleasure to see that like-minded brands that take their corporate social responsibility to society seriously, both in the public and private sector have joined us to further this noble cause,” added Juuko.
The UCC Executive Director, Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo, said: “We thank Stanbic for leading us in this cause that is well aligned with our corporate social responsibility programmes which hinge on the health sector.”