TOGETHER FOR MAMA: Stanbic Bank, Health Ministry Join Hands in Fight against Maternal Mortality Stanbic Bank Uganda, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and the Corporate Society for Safe Motherhood (CSSM) have launched a new campaign dubbed “Together for Mama” which falls under the bank’s Corporate Social Investment. CSSM is an initiative of the health ministry that brings together willing private sector companies and the public at large, to support improvements in maternal healthcare across Uganda. Catherine Poran, the Stanbic Business Incubator Limited Chief Executive, said the goal was to raise at least Shs500m to support different health facilities in the area of safe motherhood. “Tonight, I want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the two ladies that are leading the Ministry of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister and Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary, who together with the other women, and gentlemen in the Ministry, are helping to improve maternal health in Uganda. Their dedication has not gone unnoticed, and we are proud to partner with them,” she said. CSSM is aimed at mobilizing resources and bringing together corporate organizations and the public to support the reduction of maternal and infant mortality in Uganda. Currently, Uganda still loses about 189 mothers out of 100,000 live births, but this is a decline from 336 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2016, according to government statistics. This year, the campaign plans to buy and distribute blood transfusion refrigerators, anesthetic machines, patient monitors, delivery beds, Doppler Fetescopes Gap, caesarean section sets, operating tables, baby Incubators, infant warmers among other essential items. Poran said, “Last year alone, we spent UGX300 million on maternal and safe motherhood interventions, including donations of equipment and amenities, to health facilities. Since we started the Corporate Society for Safe Motherhood and with your support, 54 health facilities have benefited from our interventions.” Across Uganda, thousands of women continue to die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The major complications include severe bleeding, infections, and obstructed labour. Poran said, “The safe motherhood walkathon will be on the first weekend of October 2024 and I want to encourage you to buy walkathon kits or contribute via FlexiPay, knowing that every shilling counts.” In an interview after the launch, Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said: “This campaign is basically to bring together all the players because safe motherhood is not only a Ministry of Health issue. It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that all our mothers that come to deliver do not lose their lives when giving another life.” According to Atwine, the campaign will not only increase participation of all Ugandans, but also help in bridging gaps created by limited government funding. “So, this safe motherhood campaign which started three years ago, is yielding results because it is bringing together more people to support us to give us equipment, mama kits and other things that we need to make our mothers get better services in our facilities where we are not able to put that equipment as Government,” said Atwine. During the launch, several individuals and companies depending on their financial resources pledged to purchase various equipment towards the campaign.
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