Lira Regional Referral Hospital and the Districts of Budaka and Kumi

Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Budaka and Kumi Districts.

We went to these three new areas in January after the leaders asked us to come and start Birth with Dignity programs. They said that their maternal death rates were “too high and the treatment of mothers after a stillbirth was harsh.” We trained many at each place and were welcomed by the leaders and healthcare workers alike. We left PowerPoints for future teaching and a year’s worth of supplies.

Since these programs were started, the following has happened:

• Two of the three programs have claimed that their maternal deaths have decreased. They have done this by screening all pregnant mothers for high-risk factors and sending the mothers to centers that are better able to handle their pregnancies. They were happy to start this new way of evaluating their patients.
• Two of the three programs are doing bereavement care after a stillbirth. The midwives are so excited about the appreciation they have received from the families. They say they are now passionate about offering family members the opportunity to see and hold their babies after the stillbirth.
• Lira wants their entire region to be trained on Birth with Dignity materials. The two leaders at the hospital set up a 5-hour conference with approximately 25 health care workers in their city center to train them and felt it was a great success.
• Lira has started a very detailed database to track postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia, and bereavement care. Their documentation and data collection are incredible.

We could not be happier. We had hoped Lira, Kumi, and Budaka were starting to walk 3 months after program start, and instead have found that they are running with enthusiasm and great results.