Sarah Nyombi Nansubuga, Ntenjeru County Every year, about 6,000 Ugandan women die from pregnancy related causes and a total of 297,000 women have induced abortions, most of them unsafe.

Up to 40% of these deaths and 84-85% of induced abortions could be prevented if all women in need of modern methods of contraception were able to access them. But these contraceptives are in short supply. As a result, at 41%, Uganda is among the countries with the highest unmet need for family planning and total fertility rate of 6.7 children per woman, putting the population growth rate at over 3% per year, the third highest in the whole world.

Due to efforts by Members of Parliament and civil society organisations, Uganda received a loan from the World Bank of $130m of which 30m was allocated to reproductive health. On September 30, 2010, MPs under their umbrella forum Network of African Women Ministers and Parliamentarians (NAWMP-U) and the Reproductive Health Supplies Advocacy Network, led by Reproductive Health Uganda, met with the Minister of State for General Duties, Richard Nduhuura, to discuss allocations to reproductive health under this loan.

The MPs were reliably informed that the World Bank funds are to be spent on four major interventions under the reproductive health component. These are: increasing access to Emergency Obstetric Care, ensuring skilled attendance at birth, scaling up of Family Planning and focused antenatal care.

In total, $18,949,654 (about Shs 42bn) which is 63% of the $30m is allocated to procurement of reproductive health supplies, including Emergency Obstetric Care, and equipment, long term and permanent method commodities (lUDs and implants) and Family Planning equipment, as well as procurement of oral contraceptives.

While it is commendable that the government has secured this loan, we as Members of Parliament together with our partners, Reproductive Health Uganda, call upon the government to increase its own expenditure on reproductive health supplies, particularly family planning supplies.

We also appeal to the government to go beyond allocation of funds for procurement of reproductive health supplies and ensure that what is allocated is actually spent on supplies. Historically, only a small percentage of the allocation for reproductive health is actually spent; for instance only 6.4% of the 1.5 billion shillings allocated to procurement of contraceptives by the government in 2008, was actually spent.

As Members of Parliament, we undertake to exercise our oversight role on this one and will keenly follow up the funds to ensure that they are spent on procurement of reproductive health supplies and that losses are minimised.

We also appeal to the media to continue taking a keen interest in matters of reproductive health. The media can help us by writing stories that stimulate public debate and create widespread awareness, and hold the government accountable in fulfilling its role in promoting and protecting the reproductive health of our population.

Once we do this, we believe we shall go a long way in reducing the unmet need for family planning, improve maternal health situation in the country and save the lives of our mothers and, in the long run, contribute to national development.



As recorded by DAVID TASH LUMU