Expectant mothers warned on delivery

MATERNAL HEALTH

Expectant mothers in Buikwe district have been warned against seeking medical care from Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) but instead use the area health centres.

The warning was sounded by specialists from St. John Ambulance Uganda during a health camp at Mutembe Landing Site, Nyenga Sub County in Buikwe district.

The camp had  700 people with various ailments treated  from the villages of Kuufu, Buwagajo, Wagajo, Buzibilira, Buwagali, Nawa and Kalega and those with complicated illnesses referred to authentic hospitals.

HIV counselling and testing, maternal and child care services, dental checkups, malaria treatment and hypertension were some of the services offered to residents, free of charge.

Dr. Joseph Kasirye urged mothers to shun TBAs and go to health centres where emergency personnel and equipment is available if the mother develops complications.

"Giving birth from hospitals is the safest environment for mothers at risk of medical complications during labor and it has around the clock help which is not the case with traditional attendants," Kasirye said.

He added that it is from a health facility that immediate paediatric attention is available should the newborn need medical care.

"Sleep under mosquito nets, drink boiled water, avoid sexual intercourse with multiple partners and continuously refer to medics for help," he advised.

Betty Nalongo, 45, women leader at Butembe village who is living with HIV thanked the medics for giving them free treatment but requested them to put a permanent outreach for them so that they can easily pick their ARVs.

"We truly thank the medics for giving us free treatment and our children, but as a person living with HIV; we request that they put a permanent clinical outreach for us to pick ARVs.

This because we pick drugs from far that we at times miss them because we can't afford the transport costs," Nalongo said.

She also requested for mosquito nets so that their children can be protected from malarial infections that are overwhelming them.

Another patient Angela Nabivono was thankful to the medics for having improved their maternal health and treating their children.

By the end of the health camp many children were immunised, women got family planning and antenatal materials were given to all expectant mothers in the area at no cost.