Date:
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Countries:
Africa
Eastern Africa
Uganda
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes:
The Ministry of Health in conjunction with private bodies like Marie Stopes International has invested $6 million for provision of antenatal care.
These services are being accessed through the voucher system, where a voucher is given to a pregnant woman to enable her acquire free antenatal care services from any health centre within her home village.
Speaking during a meeting in Kampala on Thursday attended by stakeholders, Mr Richard Ssemujju, the project coordinator and voucher manager Marie Stopes International, said: "We made research and found out that maternal deaths are on the increase because many mothers can hardly acquire antenatal care because they can not afford the high costs attached to these services."
He added: "Normal birth for a mother is usually not less than Shs50, 000 while caesarian is over Shs500, 000. This is too expensive for mothers especially in remote areas."
