Uganda fails to hit maternal health target

By Taddeo Bwambale

WITH barely two years left to the deadline for the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs), Uganda is still short of meeting the target of reducing the maternal mortality rate.

Hellen Clark, the visiting administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said although Uganda was on course in meeting some of the eight targets, maternal mortality and HIV rates were worrying.

“Uganda has quite a lot of positive things to report. The goal of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty will probably be met. The next stage is eradicating extreme poverty,” she said.

“However, a couple of MDGs are causing concern. One is the high maternal mortality rate and the other is the access to universal sexual and reproductive health services,” Clark said.

She made the remarks during a press conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala, on the sidelines of the seventh Commonwealth Local Governments Conference.

Clark said considering the number of women who die daily during childbirth, much more needs to be done in this area.

She revealed that the UN country team was working with the Government on an action plan to reduce the high maternal mortality rate.

Clark also noted that the fight against HIV/AIDS required a new approach that focusses on prevention, and new messages in the wake of public complacency about infection.

She advised Uganda to invest its proceeds from the energy resources such as oil and gas into critical sectors in order to reduce poverty.

“Uganda needs to be very strategic. If growth is not accompanied by policy to spread benefits, you don’t get much poverty reduction,” she said.