Source: Daily Monitor
Stakeholders in health service delivery in South Western Uganda have noted that without deliberate involvement and targeting of other key stakeholders in tackling reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, government efforts to reverse the trend of maternal and child deaths will never achieve a remarkable progress.
The stakeholders noted this during a two-day orientation of stakeholders in the health sector in Kigezi and Ankole regions.
The workshops on the roll out of the sharpened plan for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child Health were held on Tuesday and Friday last week at Kirigime Guest House in Kabale Municipality and Lake View hotel in Mbarara, respectively.
Different approach needed
Steven Nsengiyunva, the district health officer Kisoro noted that teenage pregnancies remain a big contributor to maternal and infant mortality rate in the district.
"Teenage pregnancies account for between 20-30 per cent of mothers who deliver at our health units and these contribute significantly to maternal and infant deaths, but containing this does not require a medical approach but involvement of several stakeholders," he explained.
He added that the current approach to addressing health challenges has been focusing on treatment of diseases but this is not going to address individual and community health challenges.
"Health is looking at a person in totality," said Dr Patrick Tumusiime the district health officer, Kabale District.
He added that targeting and involving religious leaders, teachers, the corporate class and private sector in health programmes may have a bigger impact than targeting health service providers and at times, politicians alone.
Nasser Mukiibi, the assistant chief administrative officer Kabale
said the community has always heaped blame for poor health services on medical workers because the health services approach focuses mainly on treatment.
Rolling out the maternal health plan
The sharpened plan being rolled out was launched in 2013 by the ministry of health but according to some ministry officials and partners, there has not been any significant progress since, in reducing maternal, infant and child deaths.
"Despite the launch of this plan in 2013, no major progress has been seen in reducing maternal, infant and child mortality rates, which is why we are now rolling out to districts and involving several players.
Hopefully, the trend will change," said David Birungi, reproductive
health focal person on the regional performance and monitoring team, South Western.
Available statistics indicate 438 mothers per 100,000 die during delivery and 90 infants per 1000 die before reaching the age of five.
The sharpened plan
The government of Uganda developed and launched the sharpened plan for Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health in 2013 with the aim of reducing preventable deaths of mothers and children by 2017.