The Ministry of Health (MoH) recorded troubling fluctuations in maternal deaths during the surveillance weeks of September and October 2025, raising concerns about the country’s progress towards reducing preventable maternal mortality.
According to the ministry’s weekly epidemiological bulletins, Week 38 (Sept. 15–21) saw eight reported maternal deaths, a drop from 16 the week before. Among those eight, one death occurred at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in the Bunyoro region.
By Week 40 (Sept. 29–Oct. 5), the figure had dipped to six deaths — albeit the cumulative count for the year had already reached 599. Tragically, the week included another death in the region when a mother died at Katulikire Health Centre III in Kiryandongo District.
Then in Week 42 (Oct. 13–19), the toll jumped again to 14 deaths. The Bunyoro region reported three of these, and the annual total climbed to 622 at that point.
“Maternal deaths are not just numbers — they are women, partners, children left behind,” said Dr. Jane Aceng, Uganda’s Minister of Health. Her ministry added that while the maternal mortality ratio has dropped over the years, the variations week by week signal persistent systemic weaknesses.
Uganda’s most recent official estimate placed the maternal mortality rate at 189 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the World Health Organization.
Health officials say the weekly surveillance numbers highlight how vital timely data and statewide responsiveness remain. “These weekly tallies show us where the burden is, region by region,” said Dr. Chris Mugahi, Director of Maternal and Child Health at MoH. “But they also expose delays in referrals and gaps in emergency obstetric care.”
The MoH attributed many maternal deaths to known complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, infection, and hypertensive disorders, often compounded by delays in seeking care, reaching care or receiving timely interventions. Regional disparities persist — remote areas like Karamoja, Acholi and West Nile repeatedly appear in the weekly bulletins.
To respond, the ministry has escalated implementation of its Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance & Response (MPDSR) system, established risk-pregnancy clinics and strengthened high-dependency obstetric services. However, experts say these efforts must be matched by improvements in transport access, blood-supply reliability and skilled birth-attendance in rural facilities.
“The data show survival is uneven,” said Dr. Mugahi. “We must move from counting deaths to acting on the patterns we see, week by week.”
Unless coordinated attention is given to emergency obstetric care, referral systems and health-worker capacity, Uganda risks stagnating on maternal mortality — a situation the UN considers “unacceptable” given that most deaths are preventable.
