Pilot US initiative improves maternal health in Uganda

By Raymond Baguma New Vision News Paper
The number of mothers dying in pregnancy and during childbirth has declined in the last one year in 8 districts that are piloting a US-supported initiative providing emergency obstetric and newborn care.
An evaluation report of the Saving Mothers, Giving Life initiative reveals a 30 percent decrease in the maternal mortality ratio in the implementing districts of Kabarole, Kibaale, Kamwenge and Kyenjojo.

The State of Health Services in Kamwenge and Kibaale Districts

Ntara Health Centre IV in Kamwenge was one of the facilities that was assessed. The district has no hospital

In September 2013, World Vision Uganda conducted a Health Services Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) in Kamwenge and Kibaale Districts to support decision making and inform World Vision’s interventions in the health sector in these districts. The SARA exercise is a recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health to equip health planners with the skills and information required to map and monitor service and resource availability.

The exercise was conducted in partnership with the WHO and was led by Dr. Michael Lukwiya. 55 health facilities in Kamwenge and 78 facilities in Kibaale were assessed in the exercise.

Most stunted children in Uganda are in Kisoro – report

• Kisoro District has the highest number of stunted children in Uganda, findings of a new study shows.

• Other districts with high numbers of stunted children are Kamwenge, Agago, Lira, Kole and Dokolo.

• The study was conducted by Harvard School of Public Health and Makerere University

• Kisoro, Lira, Kole and Kamwenge are some of the districts targeted by the Child Health Now campaign to reduce malaria and malnutrition among children under five years

KAMPALA: Kisoro District has the highest number of stunted children in Uganda, findings of a new study shows.

Other districts with high numbers of stunted children are Kamwenge, Agago, Lira, Kole and Dokolo. The study, which was conducted by Harvard School of Public Health and Makerere University under the nutrition innovation laboratory for Stunted growth is the reduced growth rate in human development and an early childhood manifestation of malnutrition caused by a malnourished mother.

Its long term effects on children include loss of cognition, low self-esteem lack of social achievement because the brain does not work well and marginalisation by society because most times stunted people remain short in stature.

It is mainly caused by deficiency of essential food nutrients in the body during growth. Kisoro again leads the six districts with 5 per cent of the children under five years said to be severely underweight. This is closely followed by Agago, Kole, Kamwenge, Lira and Dokolo.

Speaking at the release of the findings yesterday, Prof Jeffrey Griffiths, the director Nutrition Collaborative research support programme for Africa at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutritional Science and policy, said