Soroti women take 'fake' husbands to antenatal clinics

By Elizabeth Akiror

Health workers in Soroti district have discovered that some women take other men to antenatal clinics, instead of their husbands.

Gabriel Egabu, the health information assistant at Gweri Health Centre III, said they had registered 10 such cases.

“I think some men do not love their women or are just irresponsible,” Egabu said.

He said they usually send such women back home to pick their husbands.

“I think the men do not want their women to attend antenatal sessions,” Egabu explained.

One resident, Richard Elipu, said some men shun accompanying their wives to antenatal clinics for fear of being discovered that they have more than one wife.

Patrick Eritu, a social worker at the Uganda Christian University, said much as he would want to escort his wife to antenatal clinics, his busy work schedule does not allow him.

Charles Okolong, a counsellor at The Aids Support Organisation (TASO) in Soroti, said some men shun antenatal clinics due to fear of knowing their HIV status.

Agnes Luyuyo, the counsellor in charge prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmissions at TASO, said the practice of women not going with their husbands gave them wrong HIV results, which hampered the fight against mother-to-child transmission.

A recent report by UNICEF showed that 92% of pregnant women in Uganda had one antenatal clinic visit in 2010.

The report also showed that in 2011, only 50% of expectant mothers living with HIV received treatment for the prevention of mother-to-child infection.