Uganda’s Maternal Healthcare: Battle Within War Against COVID-19 Pandemic

By Robie Kakonge 

Uganda and the rest of the world continue to fiercely and jointly fight a Public Health-related war against the Corona Virus Pandemic (COVID-19), while simultaneously battling against additional National Security related threats such as Maternal Healthcare.

COVID-19’s global daily death casualties which at times reached record numbers of nearly 150,000 in the United States were beyond staggering, given that it has the world’s most expensive healthcare system.  New York City alone recorded 731 deaths on April 7th 2020, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on the same day that the total dreadful death toll figure of 3,544 people eclipsed the 9/11 terrorist attack death toll of 2,753.  Ironically, a Ugandan Nurse based in New York was among the COVID-19 Pandemic death casualties.  

As for Uganda, its Maternal Health is a battle with more death casualties as of now, than the war against the COVID-19 Pandemic. (Uganda registered slight progress in reducing child and maternal mortality, according to the Uganda Demographic Health Survey (UDHS) 2016. Approximately 15 pregnant women die daily due to direct causes like haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders compared to 438 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011 UDHS 2011).

Uganda’s miracle of miracles is that at the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic and after Ministry of Health announced its first case of COVID-19 in the country on March 21st 2020, Uganda registered no COVID-19 related deaths until its first one on July 23rd 2020, and has since recorded another one as of July 26th 2020.

Ministry of Health’s fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic also meant that for the sake of National Security there could be no room for the slightest relentlessness in the battle against other Public Health-related threats such as Maternal Healthcare or even Ebola.

Uganda’s President, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, made it crystal clear within his COVID-19 Pandemic directives that expectant mothers were to be granted express access to health care facilities despite the COVID-19 curfew.

Like all battles within wars, Uganda’s expectant mothers continue to face various threats as they too battle to bring their unborn babies to full term, have safe deliveries for their babies and themselves, and have no death before, during, or right after birth. 

The battle for life in the birth war theatre is real.  This birth battle reality is often removed beyond the birth pains, anticipation and joy of simply wanting, expecting and having a child. 

The real threats that expectant mothers must battle with especially during the war against COVID-19 are threats such as getting Malaria, for which it has been said to mimic COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, headaches and body aches.   Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) significantly poses substantial and real public health threats, threats such as anaemia, stillbirth, miscarriage and low birth weight – a leading cause of child mortality. 
Those realities reflect how much the government cannot afford or dare to neglect Maternal Healthcare even amidst the war against the COVID-19 Pandemic. 
                                                              
The author is an Applied Health Risk Communication Specialist 
Email: robiekakonge@gmail.com