Legislators within Mukono district, joined by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament -LOP in Parliament for an oversight activity in the area were on Monday shocked by cases of stillbirth happening at Mukono General Hospital.
Mukono Hospital Medical Superintendent, Geoffrey Kasirye told the legislators that every month on average, the facility registers about 20 stillbirth cases per 900 births per month. About 30 mothers deliver from the facility every day.
Out of the 900 births a month, about 250 undergo a cesarean section. Records at the facility show that annually on average, four mothers die while giving birth as a result of postpartum hemorrhage-PPH.
“The high occurrence of stillbirths at our facility is mainly caused by untreated infections of mothers, bleeding, and malaria; it is not in any way related to the negligence by health workers as members of the community allege,” Kasirye noted.
The hospital only has two scans, one of which is non- functional; it lacks an X-ray yet such machines are vital in detecting deformities among mothers. The facility has only two incubators and Dr. Kasirye says they are always used interchangeably and sometimes they are forced to put two babies in one.
LOP Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba noted that the figure was so worrying and also painful, especially for the mothers carrying babies for such a period of time only to be told that their babies can’t survive.
Members of Parliament blamed the hospital management for hiding such vital information from them whenever they ask about the hospital’s status.
According to the municipality MP Betty Nambooze, they have always asked the management about what is lacking so as to lobby also also remind the government about its responsibility in equipping health facilities but always tell them nothing.
Fred Kayondo, the Mukono South County Member of Parliament wonders where the hospital keeps babies dying as a result of stillbirth since the facility which serves as the mortuary is nonfunctional. But Dr. Kasirye says they always use it, especially for victims of stillbirth.
In 2021, Rose Baisi, a resident of Kigombya village in Mukono district accused the hospital management of throwing her baby who allegedly died at the time of birth into a placenta pit.
Baisi gave birth to twins, and the health workers at the facility presented only one child to her, with no explanation of what had happened to the second child.