KAMPALA — Stanbic Bank Uganda together with the wider Ugandan Community have donated medical mama kits worth approximately UGX. 24million to Kawempe Referral Hospital.
The donation is part of the Maternal Health campaign where Stanbic Bank and several other organisations and well-wishers are coming together to deal with the maternal health challenge.
Speaking at the handover event at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala on July 08, Emma Mugisha, Executive Director, Stanbic Bank Uganda said that increasing the maternal survival rate is an important goal for the community “because it shows that we are addressing the one thing that binds us together.”
Mugisha encouraged everyone to donate to this cause in order to contribute to the new target of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) to accelerate the decline of maternal mortality by 2030.
This campaign is currently running under the theme ‘Every Mother Counts.’
Kawempe Referral Hospital was chosen as a focal beginning point due to the fact that they have been grappling with high patient numbers and mortality deaths.
Kawempe receives over 4000 pregnant women a month from all parts of the country and delivers an average of 100 babies daily.
The hospital had the highest number of maternal deaths at 116 [death], followed by Hoima (46), Masaka (38), Fort Portal (37) and Mbale RRH (33) according to the 2019/2020 Annual Health Sector Performance Report.
“We started the campaign after realising that it was up to us to step up and take action because all of our lives begin at birth,” Mugisha said.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health applauded the bank for the kind contribution given that mothers matter in the social, political and economic aspects of life.
“We are sure that this contribution will provide clean and safe delivery to our mothers at Kawempe Referral Hospital especially at this critical time when the country is battling the COVID-19 pandemic,” Atwine said.
Over the years, the World Health Organization has indicated that, while motherhood has been considered a fulfilling natural experience, a high percentage of women face a number of challenges that cause them to suffer health-wise and, in some cases, to die.
This is seen in Uganda, which has one of East Africa’s highest fertility rates, estimated at five children per woman, according to the World Bank.
Maternal mortality rate in Uganda is still relatively high – 375 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a 2020 UNICEF report.
Despite significant improvements in maternal healthcare, particularly investment in antenatal and neonatal specialized treatment, the number of maternal deaths continues to be devastating.
Dr. Atwine said maternal deaths create an urgent need for various stakeholders to collaborate and find quick solutions to ensure that all pregnant mothers have access to quality and affordable healthcare services.
With the commitment of health workers and mothers’ prompt attendance at health centers, Uganda has the potential to significantly reduce maternal mortality going forward, according to Dr. Atwine
