Citizens Voice and Experiences from Participatory Health Facility Assessment of Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care in Mityana District

Compiled by
Senfuka Samuel
bsenfuka@gmail.com

"My name is Kigiongo Annet, a Village Health Team (VHT)/community health worker attached to Ssekanyonyi Health Centre IV in Mityana district. Our theater has been redundant for the past one year with no equipment making poor women who face complications to be referred to Mityana hospital, which is far away. I appeal to the government to urgently equip our theater and save women from long distances and losing their lives".

“If I were the President of Uganda I would ensure that midwives are deployed in all health centres that provide maternity services. I would also equip our theater with all necessary equipment and medicines that save women’s lives because women travel long                                                                distances to access comprehensive emergency care”

Scovia attending to a woman in labor

"I've worked here for 10 years. The most challenge I face is transporting women who are referred to Mityana main hospital about 40 km away. Most of these referrals happen at night but it is very difficult to get transport at night. We are always worried on duty when you refer a woman and cannot meet her transport costs. We end up using personal money to pay for women who fail to meet their transport costs. We request the government to functionalize the theater to save us from these challenges. Our health centre relies on solar power but it is down. We have a generator but there is no fuel to run it due to inadequate primary health care funds given to the facility. As a midwife I improvise and use my home lantern or a telephone torch." Laments Scovia Namaganda a midwife at Kyantungo Health Centre IV Mityana district.

 

Poorly designed main entrance into 
Kyantungo theater 

Doctors say that despite being fully equipped, Kyantungo Health Centre IV Theater requires urgent renovation in order to start any surgery work.

Mr Bernad, Chief Kalangaalo sub county

Mr. Tunankye Bernard, Chief, Kalangaalo sub-county Mityana district while at Kyamusisi Health Centre said: “As a sub-county chief, there things I have known today which need quick attention. It is not acceptable to have a water tank to the maternity ward and there is no water flowing directly to the labor ward. The In-charge should put it in writing and I go with the letter for immediate action. The In-charge of maternity together with In-charge of the facility should make a budget for kerosene for both the maternity lantern and boiling delivery instruments and submit it to me for review. The In-charge should write a formal complaint about the non-function new solar installation and I follow it up with the district officials. This is the only source of power to this facility, it should work. I thank White Ribbon Alliance for this                                                   assessment because it has showed us many things which we would not                                                   have known”

Harriet Nkugwa SNO Mityana hospital

Sister Harriet Nkugwa a Senior Nursing Officer at Mityana Hospital who was one of the technical lead during the health facility assessment of EmONC shared her experience: “This assessment has been very enriching and empowering far better than the way we have been conducting support supervision as district health team. It has helped us to discover many things and some have been upsetting. I am a member of the District Health Team but the way we have been conducting our support supervision and monitoring is shallow as compared to this assessment. We just go and sit with a health worker for a few minutes and proceed to another facility without physically checking on different departments and services. We are going to use this assessment tool to update ours and strengthen our supervision” 

“This has been a unique approach and it has helped to bring us together for collective action. Bringing health workers, political leaders, community members and the media for a common goal is important. We have been blaming one another for the poor service delivery but now we have realized that each one of us has a role to play. We need each other if we are to improve life saving services for our mothers” Sarah Katumwa, a midwife at Kyamusisi Health Centre and Chairperson WRA Mityana district.

Participatory health facility assessment of EmONC status at Kyantungo HC IV, Mityana District