Negligent medics to be interdicted
Feb 24, 2008
THE Ministry of Health is to interdict negligent health workers to check maternal deaths. The assistant commissioner for reproductive health, Dr. Anthony Mbonye, said maternal death audits were being conducted and a report would be ready soon.
By Irene Nabusoba
and Halima Shaban
THE Ministry of Health is to interdict negligent health workers to check maternal deaths. The assistant commissioner for reproductive health, Dr. Anthony Mbonye, said maternal death audits were being conducted and a report would be ready soon.
“We are auditing maternal deaths and have punitive action where there was negligence. This was a presidential directive in 2005,†Mbonye said during a conference at Lake View Hotel in Mbarara town on Thursday.
Describing negligence as health workers’ failure to execute their duties, Mbonye said carelessness accounted for 10% of the maternal deaths.
“When you abscond from duty, do not give patients drugs as prescribed, do not make referrals in time or abandon mothers living with HIV, then you are negligent. You should be punished.â€
Uganda’s maternal mortality rate is 435. Maternal mortality rate is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Mbonye urged expectant mothers to report cases of negligence.
“If you go for antenatal care and the midwife does not measure your blood pressure or does not explain to you why your feet are swelling, why you have headaches and faint, then that is a case to report,†Mbonye added.
Dr. Lydia Mungherera of The AIDS Support Organisation, was concerned that mothers living with HIV, especially those on the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programme, face stigmatisation.
“They are abandoned on hospital beds and their HIV status is declared in public. If we are talking about reducing maternal deaths by three quarters come 2015, we need to improve the attitude of our health workers,†Mungherera said.
She added that many mothers go for antenatal care but few deliver from hospitals because the health providers have bad attitudes towards them.
According to the 2006 National Demographic Health Survey, the attendance of antenatal care had improved to over 90% but skilled deliveries remained at 42%.
Prof. Medi Kauma of the Makerere University medical school said health workers have poor communication skills because “We just introduced the concept in health training schools about four years ago.â€
“Most of the senior midwives, nurses and doctors have not benefited from it,†Kauma said.
and Halima Shaban
THE Ministry of Health is to interdict negligent health workers to check maternal deaths. The assistant commissioner for reproductive health, Dr. Anthony Mbonye, said maternal death audits were being conducted and a report would be ready soon.
“We are auditing maternal deaths and have punitive action where there was negligence. This was a presidential directive in 2005,†Mbonye said during a conference at Lake View Hotel in Mbarara town on Thursday.
Describing negligence as health workers’ failure to execute their duties, Mbonye said carelessness accounted for 10% of the maternal deaths.
“When you abscond from duty, do not give patients drugs as prescribed, do not make referrals in time or abandon mothers living with HIV, then you are negligent. You should be punished.â€
Uganda’s maternal mortality rate is 435. Maternal mortality rate is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Mbonye urged expectant mothers to report cases of negligence.
“If you go for antenatal care and the midwife does not measure your blood pressure or does not explain to you why your feet are swelling, why you have headaches and faint, then that is a case to report,†Mbonye added.
Dr. Lydia Mungherera of The AIDS Support Organisation, was concerned that mothers living with HIV, especially those on the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programme, face stigmatisation.
“They are abandoned on hospital beds and their HIV status is declared in public. If we are talking about reducing maternal deaths by three quarters come 2015, we need to improve the attitude of our health workers,†Mungherera said.
She added that many mothers go for antenatal care but few deliver from hospitals because the health providers have bad attitudes towards them.
According to the 2006 National Demographic Health Survey, the attendance of antenatal care had improved to over 90% but skilled deliveries remained at 42%.
Prof. Medi Kauma of the Makerere University medical school said health workers have poor communication skills because “We just introduced the concept in health training schools about four years ago.â€
“Most of the senior midwives, nurses and doctors have not benefited from it,†Kauma said.