About 140 million births take place every year and the proportion attended by skilled health personnel has increased: from 58% in 1990 to 81% in 2019. This is mostly due to larger numbers of births taking place at a health facility. Deaths from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period have declined by 38% in the last two decades, but at an average reduction of just under 3% per year, this pace of progress is far too slow. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offers an opportunity for the international community to work together and accelerate progress to improve maternal health for all women, in all countries, under all circumstances. SDG targets for maternal health include 3.1, aiming for an average global ratio of less than 70 deaths per 100 000 births by 2030, and 3.8, calling for the achievement of universal health coverage. These cannot be achieved without reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health coverage for all.
Over the past two decades, Uganda has made progress in improving Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) indicators. Nevertheless, RMNCAH conditions currently account for over 60% of years of life lost in Uganda constituting a major public health problem. Maternal mortality rates fell by only 20% over the past 20 years, decreasing too slowly to achieve national targets. The unacceptably high numbers of maternal deaths annually are mainly caused by hemorrhage, obstructed labor and complications from abortion and account for 2% of the annual maternal deaths globally. Moreover, almost 28% of maternal deaths occur in young women aged 15 – 24 years.
WHY ARE WE INTERESTED IN MCH
It is evident that within rural areas of Uganda maternal health remains a significant problem. It is clear that maternal mortality within Uganda, particularly in rural areas, continues to be a development challenge. Of the 55.1% women attending at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits in Kanungu Kihihi sub county Health Facilities, only 24.3% had the first ANC within the first trimester. Only 11.1% of the males participated in all maternal and newborn care requirements, by encouraging women to seek healthcare (39.9%), accompanying them to healthcare (36.9%).Dominant causes of maternal mortality are cultural norms which prevent women from attending antenatal care and giving birth within a clinical setting. However other barriers to maternal healthcare extend beyond women’s cultural perceptions of childbirth. Poverty, Economic structural, gender and lack of awareness also play a part in poor maternal healthcare amongst this refugee population
Improving maternal health is one of WHO’s key priorities, grounded in a human rights approach and linked to efforts on universal health coverage. Therefore Queen Elizabeth Medical foundation
- Has been advocating for health planning where women’s values and preferences are at the centre of their own care. Meaningful engagement and empowerment of women, families, communities, and providers is essential for quality improvement initiatives.
- Promoting health along the whole continuum of pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care which will includes good nutrition, detecting and preventing diseases, ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and supporting women who may be experiencing intimate partner violence.
Our planned activities for 2022/2023 to improve MCH in Kanungu
- Improving maternal mortality (including improvement of skilled birth attendance and antenatal care),
- Conducting dialogue sessions with traditional birth attendants
- Training health workers adolescent reproductive health,
- Conducting community Family planning outreaches,
- Training Health workers in Ending preventable newborn and under-five mortality,
- Engaging the VHTs to Improving Universal Health Coverage (UHC),
- Provision of water and sanitation,
- Coverage of RMNCAH Interventions, &Malnutrition reduction.
- Distribution of mama-kits to pregnant mothers attending ANC and diginity kits after hospital deliveries.
