Over 40 Pregnant Women Die on Arrival to access Maternal Services in Hoima.
NATIONAL: Forty-five pregnant women die within 30 minutes stretch after arriving at the hospital due to the long distances of about 100Kms to access maternal services at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital.
This was revealed by the facility Director Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga, while appearing before Parliament’s Health Committee to show Hoima Hospital’s 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper estimates.
Dr. Bwaga informed the committee that within a year, 57 women died during the labor period with whom those who trek from long distances contributed a larger number on the fatalities.
“There is that column for maternal deaths where the figure of 57 is indicated, of the 57 maternal deaths, 45 maternal deaths happened within 30 minutes of arrival at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. These are the patients that move for more than 100Kms because doctors here you know, for a patient who has been operated 3 times, has be delivered by caesarian section, so what do you expect her to do when she is 100Km away from the district that hasn’t operationalized its theatre? So by the time they come, sometimes it is too late,” said Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga.
He added that some residents reject advice to transport patients to Kampala for Intensive Care Services, but rather show their readiness to organize for burials just in case.
“Many of the people in the community say, leave the patient here, let her die, we are ready to bury and you have to convince them why they have to go.” Dr. Bwaga added.
Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga explained how the hospital is congested, something not new at times patients sharing beds mostly in pediatrics Ward 3-4 babies on the same bed.
“We have a problem of congestion in the hospital and it isn’t new that sometimes patients share a bed especially pediatrics, sometimes we have 3-4 babies on the same bed. Our theatre is like an airport, one plane is landing, another one is taking off, with only two operation theatre tables.” Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga noted.
