The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, has appealed to the public to advocate for maternal health.
The archbishop was presiding over the annual Safety Motherhood Annual Conference 2025 and also marking 20 years of the ‘Save the Mothers East Africa’ program at Christian University (UCU) in Mukono under the theme, “The Impact of Multidisciplinary Professionals in Strengthening Community Engagements for Safe Motherhood,”.
According to Archbishop Kaziimba, the best approach not only empowers women and girls but also educates and mentors boys into responsible, compassionate and just leaders.
“You must remember that boys are born into men who become decision makers both in their home and in national leadership. If we ignore the boy child, we risk perpetuating a cycle where girls and women continue to suffer under systems shaped by men who are never taught to value, respect and how to support them.” He noted.
He further noted that supporting a pregnant mother is investing in the future of the nation before asking the public to renew their determination towards the cause, quoting Mother Teresa, who said, “not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
The Executive Director of Save the Mothers East Africa, Dr. Mushin Nsubuga, said marking 20 years of saving the mother is a great milestone that reflects two decades of unwavering commitment to ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
According to him, the program has championed the belief that reducing maternal and newborn mortality is not solely the responsibility of health workers but a multisectoral approach, bringing together professionals from government, education, faith-based organizations, media, business, civil society, and cultural institutions to advocate for safe motherhood.
The Save the Mothers initiative was inspired by insights gained at the 1999 Safe Motherhood Conference in Sri Lanka, and the founders recognized the need for a multidisciplinary solution.
Professors Okong Pius, Mirembe, and Dr. Olive Ssentubwe, alongside Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese, envisioned a training program and in 2005, this vision took root with the launch of the Master of Public Health Leadership (MPHL) program at Uganda Christian University which has trained over 500 multidisciplinary professionals from Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, the DRC, Kenya, Nigeria, Burundi, the USA, and Sweden.
Dr. Nsubuga says the program has contributed to transformative changes in various fields such as advocacy and policy influence, media and public narrative, education and training, healthcare intervention, youth engagement, community outreach, research and innovation, which have championed an increase in funding and improvement for maternal healthcare in Uganda.
The program also established the ‘Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative’ (MBFHI) to strengthen healthcare systems in 15 hospitals across Uganda, implementing 10 critical steps to enhance maternal and newborn care through capacity building for health workers, high dependency units (HDUs) services in districts of Tororo, Mbale, and Mityana.
It also involves neonatal intensive care units (NICU) equipped in Amai and Naggalama hospitals, non-pneumatic anti-shock garments (NASGS). So far, 25 garments have been donated to six health facilities to stabilize women experiencing obstetric hemorrhage.
Dr Richard Mugahi, the Commissioner for Reproductive and Child Health at the Ministry of Health, commended ‘Save the Mothers East Africa’ for the efforts to end maternal complications.
According to him, several families used to face delays in seeking care and others when to seek, low awareness of danger signs and birth preparedness among families, especially in rural areas.
He says such delays are based on sociocultural barriers and limited male involvement in districts such as Luuka and Bukwo. Reliance on traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and cultural norms that exclude men from maternal health decisions leads to a delay in timely care-seeking.
Other factors include financial constraints and fear of poor treatment, but also studies have shown that previous experiences of disrespectful care at facilities make some women reluctant to return, besides the geographic and infrastructural barriers such as long distances, poor road networks, and difficult terrain, especially in districts of Amudat and Namisindwa.
Other aspects include the inadequate emergency transport systems, shortage of skilled health workers, staffing gaps during nights and weekends are common in many facilities, while some comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEMONC) sites still face shortages of anesthetists and surgical teams, which delays cesarean deliveries.
Dr. Mugahi admits that there is still a need to invest in systems, innovation, and workforce, and weekly maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) reviews to save more lives.
Records at the MoH indicate that every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy and childbirth, and for every maternal death, 20-30 more suffer from maternal morbidity. (260,000 deaths in 2023).
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