Infant and maternal mortality alarming
Nov 01, 2009
EDITOR—Uganda’s health sector has not performed to expectation especially in the promotion of reproductive health. Maternal and child healthcare have not been paid much attention.
EDITOR—Uganda’s health sector has not performed to expectation especially in the promotion of reproductive health. Maternal and child healthcare have not been paid much attention.
However, there is some slight attempt and this leaves Uganda struggling with one of the world’s worst maternal, infant and child mortality rates. Every day more than 14 women die while giving birth or during pregnancy and annually more than 5,000 perish! This makes the maternal mortality rate of 435 for every 100000 live births.
When women’s Day celebrations are going on every March 20 at Kololo, 14 coffins are being nailed for mothers whose life expectancy has been cut short on that day alone! Don’t they have a right to live? Are mothers naturally cursed because they were born female? Infant and under-five mortality rates deserve a lot of attention.
For every 1,000 live births, 76 infants don’t celebrate their first birthday while 137 don’t reach the age of five. This is not building for the future but heading for extinction. Since the trick for quick positive response is through ‘eating a rat’, I will soon give it a try to show my patriotism in saving infants and mothers’ lives.
Jonan Natamba
Makerere University
However, there is some slight attempt and this leaves Uganda struggling with one of the world’s worst maternal, infant and child mortality rates. Every day more than 14 women die while giving birth or during pregnancy and annually more than 5,000 perish! This makes the maternal mortality rate of 435 for every 100000 live births.
When women’s Day celebrations are going on every March 20 at Kololo, 14 coffins are being nailed for mothers whose life expectancy has been cut short on that day alone! Don’t they have a right to live? Are mothers naturally cursed because they were born female? Infant and under-five mortality rates deserve a lot of attention.
For every 1,000 live births, 76 infants don’t celebrate their first birthday while 137 don’t reach the age of five. This is not building for the future but heading for extinction. Since the trick for quick positive response is through ‘eating a rat’, I will soon give it a try to show my patriotism in saving infants and mothers’ lives.
Jonan Natamba
Makerere University