Browsing by Author "Nakabembe, Eve"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Enhancement of East African Universities’ Contribution towards the Attainment of Millennium Development Goal 5-Improving Maternal Health
    (Bradford Print Shoppe, 2011) Froese, Jean Chamberlain; Ssonko, Mary; Angina, Bonaventure Michael Okello; Namuyonga, Faith; Nakabembe, Eve; Kakembo, Fredrick
    Improving maternal health was recognized by the international community as a key component of the United Nations 2000 Millennium Summit initiative to reduce worldwide hunger, poverty and disease. All participating countries agreed to work toward the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG-5) in particular, which focuses on reducing the global maternal mortality ratio by 75 percent by 2015 compared to 1990 rates. According to recent estimates, exciting progress towards reducing maternal mortality has been made in many developing regions, including sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia where the majority of maternal deaths occur. Despite this important progress however, an estimated 358,000 maternal deaths occurred worldwide in 2008. Worse still, developing countries account for 99 percent, or 355,000, of all deaths. Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia account for 87 percent of global maternal deaths, (313,000 deaths). It has also been estimated that, in sub-Saharan Africa, a woman’s risk of dying from preventable or treatable complications of pregnancy and childbirth over the course of her life time is 1 in 31, compared to only 1 in 4300 in developed regions (United Nations, 2010).1 Sub-Saharan African countries have much to gain from the realization and achievement of the MDGs. This takes the involvement of different stakeholders including universities. However, what role(s) are the universities in Sub-Saharan Africa playing in educating students about MDGs and, especially, MDG-5? Given that current and future Sub-Saharan Africa University students are considered to be the elites in their countries and will become decision makers and activists, a study on the Enhancement of East African Universities’ Contribution towards the Attainment of MDG 5 reveals that universities can, and should play a pivotal role in accelerating progress.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Experiences of Using the Toll-free Telephone Line to Access Maternal and Newborn Health Services in Central Uganda: A Qualitative Study
    (Elsevier, 2019-09-20) Mwase, H. Ivan; Hutchins, M.; Cameron, A.; Ware, M.; Nakanwaji, J.F.; Nakabembe, Eve; Mutabazi, G. Miriam; Chamberlain, Jean; Barageine, Justus Kafunjo
    Objectives: Save the mothers (STM) operates the toll-free telephone line (TFL) service in nine health facilities in Uganda. The TFL is influential in addressing the first and second delays in seeking care as it connects vulnerable mothers to health facilities at no cost. This study aimed at exploring the experiences of health workers and community members in using the TFL to access maternal and newborn health services in four health facilities in central Uganda. Study design: This phenomenological/qualitative study used focus group discussions (FGDs) to collect data in four health facilities. Methods: A total of 10 FGDs were conducted; two with health workers, four with women, and another four with both men and women. Each session lasted 45e60 min and had a moderator, observer, and note taker. All discussions were audio-recorded after obtaining consent from the participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated to English from audio recordings. Data analysis was performed using the thematic analysis using QDA DATA Miner software. Results: The TFL service was pivotal in improving health worker and community relations, relaying timely health advice, ensuring prompt response to obstetric emergencies and facilitated timely referrals. However, the service faced several obstacles: unanswered calls, language differences, poor connectivity/network, and misuse/abuse. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potential of the TFL service in addressing the first and second delay as it allows for timely linkage of vulnerable mothers to health facilities. The TFL enhanced health worker and community relations and facilitated timely referrals and relaying of health advice. Addressing maternal mortality in low-income settings necessitates increased investment and scale up of such high impact mHealth interventions. © 2019 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.