Uganda gets $400 million for health provision

The United States government has provided $400 million (Sh920 billion) to improve health services across the country.

The breakdown indicates that the fund will be used to fight maternal mortality, build blood banks in the five regional hospitals and a data base on the health care services across the country.

However, the biggest chunk of the money has been allocated to maternal health aiming at reducing the mortality rates by 50 per cent in four districts of western Uganda by end of this year.

According to the US global health Director, Lois Quam, the project will begin in Kyenjojo and Kabarole districts-the most affected areas with at least 31 per cent of the cases of maternal mortality in the country.

“Our commitment to Ugandans is to strengthen the health care system to save mothers and children by ensuring that the services are brought nearer to those who need them,” Ms Quam said.

“Some mothers do not get to the hospital due to poor transport coupled with long distances. Others who manage to get there have no one to attend to them,” she said.

In Uganda, 16 women die every day during childbirth. Only one in four women have access to contraceptives and 50 per cent of all pregnancies are unintended resulting in 435 deaths out of every 1,000 births.

The Minister of Health, Christine Ondoa, said: “The agreement we have entered with the US government comes at a time when we are putting exceptional measures to achieve the Millennium Development Goal number five-to combat maternal and neonatal death rates in the country.”

Ministry of Health reports show that inadequate number of medical workers is still a big challenge with some districts such as Maracha-Terego having no medical staff at all levels.

Malaria, anaemia and sexually transmitted diseases, especially syphilis, gonorrhoea and HIV/Aids are the leading cause of complications during pregnancy, according to medical statistics

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Posted by AfricaSTI on February 28, 2012. Filed under Headlines, Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry