Mothers shun new health centre over death myth
KABAROLE. Mothers in Nyabuswa in Mugusu Sub-county and the neighbouring areas of Karangura in Kabarole District have abandoned Nyabuswa Health Centre III over cultural beliefs.
It is now one year since Kabarole District local government constructed a maternity ward at Karangura Health Centre III but no mother has ever delivered from the facility because residents have a belief that the first mother who delivers from a healthy facility dies.
People mostly leaving in the mountainous areas of Kabarole believe that the first mother to deliver in a newly built hospital dies.
Mr Henry Kagaba, the office in charge of the health centre, said the facility receives 70-90 mothers for antenatal care services every month but no mother has delivered at the health facility.
“In antenatal care services, we have hit the target but after accessing the services, mothers go to birth at Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) while others go to clinics in Fort Portal Town,” Mr Kagaba said on Wednesday.
He attributed the poor delivery at the facility to the local leaders’ failure to mobilise mothers to embrace the facility and also erase the cultural tendency of giving birth in villages.
While monitoring government programmes in Mugusu Sub-county and Mugusu Town Council last week, the LC III chairperson, Mr Jorum Tumusiime astonished leaders when he disclosed that the mothers fear to deliver at the facility ward claiming that the first mother to give birth would die.
Ms Biira Gloria, a mother of two said she would rather deliver at the hands of Traditional Birth Attendants than delivering in a new facility and die in labour.
As a way of motivating mothers, the Kabarole District chairman, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, has staked Shs250,000 to the first mother to deliver at the ward.
The facility with staff population of 16, is well equipped with maternity beds, medicine, water, power and three mid wives.
