Uganda trails in family planning ratings
May 01, 2011
UGANDA is still lagging behind in delivering family planning services in East Africa, which experts say has caused high maternal and child mortality rates.
By FRANCIS KAGOLO
UGANDA is still lagging behind in delivering family planning services in East Africa, which experts say has caused high maternal and child mortality rates.
Only 24% of Ugandan women according to the experts use family planning.
They said this was lower than in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi where half of the women use family planning contraceptives.
This was disclosed in a regional two-day conference on reproductive health organised at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo recently.
Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, the regional director of Partners in Population and Development in Africa, an inter-governmental organisation, said Uganda was unlikely to achieve the millennium development health goals unless family planning services were boosted.
Musinguzi attributed the poor performance to inadequate funding, negative cultural and religious beliefs and lack of political will.
“The little funding from the Government has only provided contraceptives in urban centres yet over 85% of the population live in rural areas,†Musinguzi said.
He said Uganda’s unmet need for family planning stands at 41%, the highest in the region.
Musinguzi said this has led to increased maternal and child mortality rates.
Quoting the Demographic Health Survey report of 2006, Musinguzi said about 435 women out of 100,000 live births, die in Uganda.
He added that about 130 babies out of 1,000 births in Uganda die before the age of five.
Dr. Blessing Mberu of the African Population and Health Research Centre in Kenya said Uganda’s population is projected to reach 93 million by 2050 unless family planning is enhanced.
Explaining that only 20% of the births in Uganda occur in hospitals, Mberu urged the Government to enhance access to medical care and set up better referral health facilities in the country.
“One dollar spent on family planning can save two to six dollars in other development sectors like education and health,†he said.
The conference was organised under the theme: “Repositioning family planning and reproductive health in eastern Africa.
It attracted hundreds of participants, mainly MPs, from across the region.
Participants urged African heads of state to implement the 2001 Abuja Declaration where they agreed to allocate 15% of national budgets to health. In Uganda, the health sector gets about 10% of the budget.
UGANDA is still lagging behind in delivering family planning services in East Africa, which experts say has caused high maternal and child mortality rates.
Only 24% of Ugandan women according to the experts use family planning.
They said this was lower than in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi where half of the women use family planning contraceptives.
This was disclosed in a regional two-day conference on reproductive health organised at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo recently.
Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, the regional director of Partners in Population and Development in Africa, an inter-governmental organisation, said Uganda was unlikely to achieve the millennium development health goals unless family planning services were boosted.
Musinguzi attributed the poor performance to inadequate funding, negative cultural and religious beliefs and lack of political will.
“The little funding from the Government has only provided contraceptives in urban centres yet over 85% of the population live in rural areas,†Musinguzi said.
He said Uganda’s unmet need for family planning stands at 41%, the highest in the region.
Musinguzi said this has led to increased maternal and child mortality rates.
Quoting the Demographic Health Survey report of 2006, Musinguzi said about 435 women out of 100,000 live births, die in Uganda.
He added that about 130 babies out of 1,000 births in Uganda die before the age of five.
Dr. Blessing Mberu of the African Population and Health Research Centre in Kenya said Uganda’s population is projected to reach 93 million by 2050 unless family planning is enhanced.
Explaining that only 20% of the births in Uganda occur in hospitals, Mberu urged the Government to enhance access to medical care and set up better referral health facilities in the country.
“One dollar spent on family planning can save two to six dollars in other development sectors like education and health,†he said.
The conference was organised under the theme: “Repositioning family planning and reproductive health in eastern Africa.
It attracted hundreds of participants, mainly MPs, from across the region.
Participants urged African heads of state to implement the 2001 Abuja Declaration where they agreed to allocate 15% of national budgets to health. In Uganda, the health sector gets about 10% of the budget.