372 health centres to get funding for maternal, child health

Oct 05, 2018

The district leaders welcomed the funding, saying it will help plug gaps in the health system and limit common constraints on maternal and child health.

PIC: The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local government Benjamin Kumumanya speaking during the Ministry of Health signing Result - Based Financing (RBF) grant agreement with the district local governments under the URMCHIP project at Hotel Africana on Thursday, October 04, 2018. Photo by Shamim Saad

HEALTH

A total of 372 health centres in Uganda are set to receive special grants for activities to improve maternal, neonatal and infant health.

The health centres are spread across 28 districts countrywide and will share sh20b annually for the next four years. An additional 55 districts will join the programme by the end of December.

The new project will finance purchase of medical supplies, training medics and expanding for birth registration  through interventions such as mobile birth registration services in remote areas.

Expected benefits include: increase in number of outpatient visits, completion of four antenatal visits, more deliveries at health facility, post-natal visits and use of long-term family planning.

 The Executive Director Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Jennifer Musisi (left) and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Dr Diane Atwine (right) exchanging documents shortly after signing Result - Based Financing (RBF) grant agreement with the district local governments under the URMCHIP project at Hotel Africana on Thursday, October 04, 2018. Photo by Shamim Saad.

The money will go directly to selected health facilities and their district for health management teams for a chain of activities targeting to reduce maternal, neonatal and infant deaths.

The new project is part of a $165m (sh621.3b) project that includes a $110m loan from the World Bank, a $30m grant from the Global Financing Facility and a $25million grant from the Swedish Government. 

Representatives of the beneficiary districts signed grant agreements with the ministry of health and the development partners at a meeting in Kampala on Thursday to pave way for the funding.

The district leaders welcomed the funding, saying it will help plug gaps in the health system and limit common constraints on maternal and child health.

Benjmin Kumumanya, the local government ministry's permanent secretary told the district leaders that the ministry would enage relevant organs to address their concerns.

Mulago Hospital's Enock Kusaasira touring the new specialised maternal and neonatal center recently

Uganda has high but declining maternal and infant mortality rates. Maternal mortality declined from 438 deaths per 100,000 live births to 336 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2011 and 2016.

Infant mortality rate reduced to 43 from 56 per 1000 live births while under-five mortality rate reduced to 64 from 90 per 1,000 live births between 2016 and 2011.

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