Accountability for Maternal Health Service Delivery

Senfuka Samuel

Accountability Matters: Ministry of Health through its Uganda Health Systems Strengthening Project committed to deliver the Uganda Minimum Healthcare Package to Ugandans with a focus on #maternal health, #newborn care and #family planning. This was planned to be achieved through improving human resources for health, physical health infrastructure as well as management, leadership and accountability for health service delivery.

The project was to start off by reconstructing and or rehabilitating and fully equip Mubende and Moroto regional referral hospitals, 28 Health centre IVs and 17 District General Hospitals including Bugiri, Iganga, Entebbe, Apac, Pallisa, Nebbi, Kiryandongo, Itojo, Kitgum, Moyo, Anaka, Kawolo, Nakaseke, Buwenge, Bukwo and Mityana District Hospital. This led to a loan request of US $ 130 million from World Bank, which was subsequently approved and passed by the Parliament of Uganda in FY 2010/2011. However, a visit to Mityana General Hospital in central Uganda is a testimony that apart from the foundation stone which was laid about a year now, nothing much has happened! As seen in the photos below, the facility buildings are in a sorry state requiring urgent action. The maternity unit at the hospital was reconstructed in 1995/97 but also requires urgent rehabilitation. 

A call to Parliamentarians to fast track the World Bank loan and the funds so far released to facilitate the works on the targeted facilities.

Bulera Health Centre III Gets a New Maternity Unit and Staff Boost!

Last year, our collective advocacy efforts of civil society organizations in health, Parliamentarians and other stakeholders led to Government's bold decision to recruit and increase the number of health workers at Health Centre IIIs and IVs. A field visit to Bulera HC III (Mityana district) managed by our own WRA Uganda member, Ms Barbara Zzalwango (Health worker representative on WRA Mityana regional committee) has already tested on the benefits by getting additional 4 nurses, 1 midwife, 1 Lab Technician. Congratulations to Ms Barbara who was also promoted to the post of Nursing Officer (Midwifery)! Bulera HC III has also constructed a maternity unit to serve better the increasing population in the catchment area. According to the In-charge, Midwife Barbara, the unit remains only to be equipped with necessary maternity facilities to start operations. 

Do you know a Maama kit, Have you heard about it, Do you know its contents and importance to pregnant women? A visit at Kyamusisi Health Centre III, Mityana District for community engagement in maternal health.

            

A maama kit contains basic items required by a woman at time of delivery/childbirth. It contains gauze, cotton wool, 3 pairs of gloves, a piece of bathing soap and 2 plastic bags-one for delivering on and the other for the newborn. After finding that it was one of the reasons stopping women from delivering from health facilities due to lack of money to buy these items, the Government of Uganda made it a policy for every mother who delivers from the public health facility to get a free maama kit and it was eventually included on the list of essential medicines and supplies that are distributed to health facilities (Health centre III to National Referral Hospital). 

Midwife Oliver Tebakaanya at Kyamusisi HC III, cautioned women and men who turned up for a community feedback meeting on improving maternal health service delivery NOT to accept to be charged for a maama kit at a Government Health facility by any unscrupulous people. 

According to Midwife Sarah Kirabira- In-charge of Kyamusi Health Centre III who is also a WRA Uganda  member and Chairperson of WRA Mityana Regional Committee was happy about the advocacy efforts which has resulted into recruitment and deployment of a Clinical Officer, Lab Technician and an additional midwife.

anticipating to reduce on the workload.