Uganda cannot achieve development without increased investment in maternal health

In this Daily Monitor opinion piece, Anthony Masake of the Uganda Law Society stresses the importance of addressing maternal mortality in Uganda and asserts that the country cannot achieve development without increased efforts to meet national maternal health targets. He places emphasis on the need to invest in midwifery and nursing services, among other strategies, writing, "Within the context of inadequate financial resources, mounting health demands, escalating health care costs, rising population, and heightened public expectations, midwifery and nursing services present a platform from which we can scale-up health interventions to assist in meeting national health targets."

"We need to strengthen and make affordable midwifery and nursing education while efficiently managing maternal and neonatal health challenges," he writes, adding, "Without adequate fully-qualified midwives at their work stations, almost all the other strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity are bound to fail" (9/29).