KAMPALA: The Archbishop of Church of Uganda, The Most Rev Dr Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu has called upon the government to allocate more domestic funds to maternal health, to train and recruit more health workers and enhance their payment to keep them motivated for better service delivery and to ensure that no mother dies while giving birth.
Archbishop Kaziimba made this call while addressing the second National safe motherhood conference today at Golf Course Hotel in Kampala.
“The Health of Our Mothers, Children and Adolescents is important to all of us. It is through Safe motherhood and best practices in family planning that we have a healthy family, church and nation. I cherish mothers, women and the role they play in nation building.” Archbishop Kaziimba said.
He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Health for working hard to reduce maternal and child mortality rates in Uganda.
“I am glad to know that according to Ministry of Health reports, Uganda has over the years registered positive wins towards reduction of maternal and new born mortality; in a bid to accelerate progress towards achieving health sector development goals and global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.” He said.
According to Archbishop Kaziimba, the reduction is attributed to multi sectoral approach in improved service delivery both in government and Faith-Based-Organizations’ (FBO) facilities, NGOs, access and utilization of health facilities and health sector investment.
He expressed the need for information, community mobilization, service delivery and capacity building of priority relevant church structures to address unmet need for family planning, maternal health services, HIV prevention with focus on integration and prevention among couples and young people both in-school young people and for out of school youth using Church structures.
Archbishop Kaziimba further called for strengthening collaboration with FBOs, NGOs, CSOs, Development partners and the private sector. According to Archbishop Kaziimba, FBOs and Religious institutions are very key in addressing social-cultural and religious barriers for increased uptake of services.
He said that Church of Uganda will continue to partner with Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development (MGLSD), Ministry of Health (MOH), UNFPA, UNICEF, Partners in Population and Development, Faith for Action network and Faith for family health in accelerating; Social mobilization, creating awareness and lobby for uptake of family planning.
He called upon like-minded development partners to work with Church of Uganda in acceleration of dissemination of relevant needed information, Community mobilization, Service delivery and capacity building of priority pertinent church structures, to address unmet need for family planning, maternal health services, and HIV prevention with focus on integration.
