UWOPA Calls on Govt to Prioritize Maternal Health

UWOPA Calls on Govt to Prioritize Maternal Health

The Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA)  has decried funding shortages in the proposed budget of the ministry of health for the financial year for 2022/23.

UWOPA has called for more funding of the ministry of health up to 15% especially in the area of basic maternal health services as per the Abuja declaration.

Members of the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association have come out to decry the increased cases of maternal mortality in the country. They claim the new spate of teenage pregnancies has contributed much to maternal mortality rates because many teenage expectant mothers don’t access antenatal care services.

They’ve called for improved access to quality care and medicines among poor and marginalized populations and fight corruption at the health facilities where some workers demand money from the mothers going for delivery before attending to them.

Statistics indicate that though 97% of pregnant women attend Antenatal care only 60%of them complete at least four out of the eight recommended visits and yet the majority of them start antenatal visits late. This has worried female legislators.

As parliament processes the 2022/23 financial year budget, female legislators have asked for more funds allocated to the ministry of health especially the component of basic reproductive health services and recruitment of medical officers.

UWOPA has decried funding gaps in the ministry of the health budget to the tune of 1.29tn which has suffocated activities meant to support maternal health citing underfunding of health center III and health Center 4s.