Members Of Parliament Raise Concern Over High Maternal Deaths In Karamoja

A section of lawmakers have raised concern over the increased cases of maternal mortality rates in Uganda after reports emerged that Moroto Regional Referral Hospital alone had recorded 12 deaths within January 2024.

This followed a concern raised by Napak District Woman MP Faith Nakut, who tasked the Ministry of Health to investigate the increased cases of maternal deaths at Moroto Regional Referral following the death of Sarah Nadiye, the 12th woman to die in 2024, yet the biggest population of mothers within Karamoja region aren’t giving birth in health facilities.

On Monday, we buried Sarah Nadiye in Napak district, who was going to have her first baby, and she died; she was normal, then she died and left a week baby. Nadiye is the 12th woman we have counted who has died at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital. We don’t count the other illiterate women because we don’t know those who are 80% of the population. That makes me worried at the number of women dying while giving birth, there are many questions that are being asked, remarked Nakut.

Nakut revealed that the mortality rates in Karamoja have created tension among the residents.

As I speak now, the population in Karamoja are planning a protest, and they have put us, the leaders, on notice because of the number of mothers dying while giving birth. The Ministry of Health needs to review what is killing mothers at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital with a possibility of addressing the deeper concerns on what is killing the mothers, particularly on what killed Nadiye, she added.

According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic Health Survey, the maternal mortality ratio in Uganda was reduced from 336 to 189 per 100,000 live births, while infant mortality went from 43 to 34 per 1,000 live births.

Anifa Kawooya, Minister of State for Health (General Duties), in response, admitted that the Government is aware that the rate at which mothers are dying is growing countrywide and it is not growing because of the negligence of the Ministry of Health, but blamed some maternal deaths on the failure by the expectant mothers to report to hospitals on time.

 At times, you find that these mothers report late to the facilities, at times, you find that there are other complications that are beyond our health workers and in this case, they tried their best to refer [to another facility] this matter, it is very unfortunate. When it comes to our ICU equipment not being functional, it is true, but still the issue comes to limited funding. As a Ministry, we are looking into this and to have our ICUs at regional referral centres, said Kawooya.

However, Medard Lubega, MP for Busiro East, asked Minister Kawooya to explain how she expects these expectant mothers to reach the hospitals on time when many health facilities in Uganda have no ambulances, yet even in areas with ambulances, the road network is too poor to ensure that patients are transported safely.

I was concerned when she said mothers report very late to the facilities. I have visited a number of health facilities in my constituency, and you find the ambulance coupled and find that the ambulance provided to the sub-county is a tricycle (Tuku Tuku), coupled, I am seeking an explanation from the Minister on how they expect mothers to be delivered in time with that kind of ambulance, he said.

This is a matter of concern, and it touches all of us because when you talk about these mothers, these are the people that guarantee the transmission of life from one generation to another. We must find a decent way of availing decent maternal health to our mothers. How do you expect fast and timely delivery of these mothers when you don’t have health services, added Lubega.

Parliament was also informed that Nadiye passed on while being transported from Moroto Regional Referral Hospital to Mulago National Referral Hospital after the Intensive Care Unit at Moroto was found to be non-functional.

It was also reported that at the time of her admission, the medical doctors were not on duty, leaving only the medical interns to attend to Nadiye.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP), although the number of Ugandan women dying in childbirth has progressively reduced over the years, some 6,000 women and adolescent girls still die every year from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. For every woman or girl who dies, an estimated 20 or 30 suffer injuries, infections or life-long disabilities, including obstetric fistula. The Fund recommends the provision of all pregnant women and their infants with the recommended level of maternal and health care would reduce maternal deaths by two-thirds.