Uganda urged to boost contraception access to curb maternal deaths and poverty

Uganda is facing renewed calls to broaden access to contraception and family planning services. Health experts emphasize that enhancing reproductive health services is crucial for tackling several pressing issues, including maternal deaths, school dropouts, and household poverty.

These calls were amplified during a recent Media Café in Kampala, organized by TIKO, which convened journalists, Ministry of Health officials, and the National Planning Authority (NPA) to discuss Uganda’s reproductive health landscape and its rapidly growing youth population.

Dr. John Paul Bagala, Assistant Commissioner for Reproductive and Infant Health at the Ministry of Health, highlighted the ongoing loss of women during pregnancy and childbirth. He stated that family planning is a vital tool in preventing these avoidable deaths. “Every Monday and every Thursday, as the Ministry of Health, we audit women that die in this country,” Dr. Bagala noted, pointing out that women with more than five pregnancies are at a significantly higher risk.

Uganda’s maternal mortality ratio currently stands at 189 deaths per 100,000 live births, with a national target to reduce this to below 70 by 2030. The country also grapples with a high fertility rate, averaging over five children per woman, contributing to one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations.

Dr. Bagala stressed that family planning should be viewed as more than just pregnancy prevention; it is essential for safe motherhood, empowering women to choose when and how many children they have. He mentioned that Uganda’s modern contraceptive prevalence rate among married women is around 38%, indicating a substantial need for greater access to information and services for informed reproductive health choices.

Dorah Talanta, TIKO Country Director, urged the media to play a more active role in disseminating accurate information about contraception. She believes journalists can significantly influence conversations around family planning at all societal levels. Talanta added that providing young women with proper information and access to reproductive health services is key to helping them avoid unintended pregnancies, stay in school, and achieve their educational and economic aspirations.

Judith Mutabazi from the NPA underscored that while Uganda’s youthful population offers economic potential, the nation must generate sufficient employment opportunities for its young people. “For us to achieve our economic development, we need to create more jobs to absorb these people transiting into the working group,” Mutabazi stated.

Collectively, stakeholders emphasized that continued investment in family planning, reproductive health, education, and job creation is essential for Uganda to leverage its demographic dividend and mitigate the health and economic burdens associated with unintended pregnancies.