LC woman brings hope to Karamoja mothers
Dec 13, 2006
KARAMOJA<br>Four-month pregnant Dianah Ajore has never been to a health facility. As she reaches Matany Hospital, her mother explains to Rose Nekesa, a nurse, that Ajore has been bleeding. She fears her daughter, pregnant for the first time, might miscarry. Ajore sits uncomfortably with a silent pl
KARAMOJA
By Alice Emasu
Four-month pregnant Dianah Ajore has never been to a health facility.
As she reaches Matany Hospital, her mother explains to Rose Nekesa, a nurse, that Ajore has been bleeding. She fears her daughter, pregnant for the first time, might miscarry. Ajore sits uncomfortably with a silent plea in her eyes. What will happen to her? Will her baby survive?
Women like Ajore are embracing local initiatives to save them and their babies from death in pregnancy and child birth.
Colorinda Amulen, the LC1 woman councillor of Matany has led a Women, Environmental and Reproductive Health Group to spearhead efforts to improve mothers’ health in the area. Her group is a unique undertaking to address the specific needs of mothers in the community.
As a way of responding to the exceptionally high rate of death among pregnant women and children, the women’s group has ensured that elderly women in Matany and the neighbouring villages are trained as modern traditional birth attendants.
This will help minimise deaths resulting from cultural beliefs, ignorance and poverty.
Amulen says MWERHG has worked towards breaking the taboo that a person who is not a woman’s relative should not attend to her during delivery. Now, there are specialised traditional birth attendants in Matany.
Mary Naoga, a traditional birth attendant says, “In the past, we used to use a hot iron rod or sharp stone to cut the umbilical cord, but now we use knives or razor blades for women who can afford sh50 to buy them.â€
Amulen says there is an increase in the number of women who deliver in hospital.
One of the group’s objectives is to help improve maternal health in Matany through encouraging women to seek medical care during pregnancy and at birth in addition to enhancing safe delivery at home.
The women also carry out hygiene and sanitation campaigns at household level throughout the sub-county.
The work of Amulen’s initiative has been made easier by the proximity of the renown Matany Hospital.
A 2004 special report on Karamoja by the Uganda Human Rights Commission cites lack of access to modern health facilities as a big problem in Karamoja. The report says health units are restricted to town centres and are virtually non-existent in settlements which form villages in Karamoja. “This leaves thousands of people at the mercy of nature,†the report says.
In Moroto Hospital, there are 13 beds in the maternity ward. When we visited the hospital, there were three bedridden mothers while a few were sitting under a tree outside the ward.
Nekesa says the attendance of mothers is seasonal. Sometimes, the ward becomes so full that they quickly discharge mothers in order to create room for those who have pregnancy-related complications.
About only 10 women go for antenatal care a day. However, the district, with the support of the World Food Programme, has come up with a way of encouraging pregnant women and mothers with children below two years, to take them for immunisation.
The mothers and pregnant women are given sugar, soya flour, maize flour and cooking oil. This ensures that the turn up is very high.
Sometimes over 300 mothers turn up at the hospital everyday.
“But when there is no food, the number drops,†Nekesa says.
During visits to the hospital, mothers are given iron and folic acid tablets to build up their haemoglobin.
From 16 weeks of pregnancy, expectant mothers are given fansidar tablets to prevent malaria, which could cause miscarriages. From 36 weeks of pregnancy, they are given deworming tablets.
By Alice Emasu
Four-month pregnant Dianah Ajore has never been to a health facility.
As she reaches Matany Hospital, her mother explains to Rose Nekesa, a nurse, that Ajore has been bleeding. She fears her daughter, pregnant for the first time, might miscarry. Ajore sits uncomfortably with a silent plea in her eyes. What will happen to her? Will her baby survive?
Women like Ajore are embracing local initiatives to save them and their babies from death in pregnancy and child birth.
Colorinda Amulen, the LC1 woman councillor of Matany has led a Women, Environmental and Reproductive Health Group to spearhead efforts to improve mothers’ health in the area. Her group is a unique undertaking to address the specific needs of mothers in the community.
As a way of responding to the exceptionally high rate of death among pregnant women and children, the women’s group has ensured that elderly women in Matany and the neighbouring villages are trained as modern traditional birth attendants.
This will help minimise deaths resulting from cultural beliefs, ignorance and poverty.
Amulen says MWERHG has worked towards breaking the taboo that a person who is not a woman’s relative should not attend to her during delivery. Now, there are specialised traditional birth attendants in Matany.
Mary Naoga, a traditional birth attendant says, “In the past, we used to use a hot iron rod or sharp stone to cut the umbilical cord, but now we use knives or razor blades for women who can afford sh50 to buy them.â€
Amulen says there is an increase in the number of women who deliver in hospital.
One of the group’s objectives is to help improve maternal health in Matany through encouraging women to seek medical care during pregnancy and at birth in addition to enhancing safe delivery at home.
The women also carry out hygiene and sanitation campaigns at household level throughout the sub-county.
The work of Amulen’s initiative has been made easier by the proximity of the renown Matany Hospital.
A 2004 special report on Karamoja by the Uganda Human Rights Commission cites lack of access to modern health facilities as a big problem in Karamoja. The report says health units are restricted to town centres and are virtually non-existent in settlements which form villages in Karamoja. “This leaves thousands of people at the mercy of nature,†the report says.
In Moroto Hospital, there are 13 beds in the maternity ward. When we visited the hospital, there were three bedridden mothers while a few were sitting under a tree outside the ward.
Nekesa says the attendance of mothers is seasonal. Sometimes, the ward becomes so full that they quickly discharge mothers in order to create room for those who have pregnancy-related complications.
About only 10 women go for antenatal care a day. However, the district, with the support of the World Food Programme, has come up with a way of encouraging pregnant women and mothers with children below two years, to take them for immunisation.
The mothers and pregnant women are given sugar, soya flour, maize flour and cooking oil. This ensures that the turn up is very high.
Sometimes over 300 mothers turn up at the hospital everyday.
“But when there is no food, the number drops,†Nekesa says.
During visits to the hospital, mothers are given iron and folic acid tablets to build up their haemoglobin.
From 16 weeks of pregnancy, expectant mothers are given fansidar tablets to prevent malaria, which could cause miscarriages. From 36 weeks of pregnancy, they are given deworming tablets.