Mama Kits are free in public health facilities, says NMS boss

The general manager of the National Medical Stores (NMS), Mr Moses Kamabare, said mothers delivering from public health facilities should not be charged for Mama Kits since they are distributed by the government.
Mr Kamabera was concerned that sometimes, mothers who go to deliver from public health facilities have to pay for them.  
“We hear that mothers don’t actually receive these Mama Kits. So, we would like to inform Ugandans that the kits are available and the mothers of this country are supposed to receive them free of charge,” he said last week.
His directive was triggered by a recent incident in which Ms Joy Twebaze, an expectant mother who went to deliver at a public facility in Kagadi District, was allegedly charged Shs35,000 for a Mama Kit.

Ms Twebaze’s younger sister, Ms Guma Orishaba, who had accompanied her to the hospital, told this publication last week that they did have money, but she had to mobilise relatives back home to raise the fee.
 A Mama Kit contains a set of materials needed to provide a clean and safe delivery. 
The contents include cotton wool, gauze, surgical gloves, Macintosh sheet (Kaveera) for the mother and child, bathing soap, a razor blade to cut the umbilical cord, and the umbilical tape.
Mr Kamabare said the government provides free Mama Kits to encourage mothers to deliver from public health facilities.

Death rate
According to the Ministry of Health, 16 mothers die every day due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, including over bleeding, infections, obstructed labour, and high blood pressure.
Mr Kamabare said expectant mothers should not demand Maama Kits when they go for initial antenatal visits because the kits are supposed to be given out just before delivery.
Experts say Mama Kits remain critical in reducing maternal mortality rates as they are an urgent and cost-effective measure to ensure that childbirth is conducted in a clean environment.

In March 2021, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics reported that the maternal mortality rate dropped from 438 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011 to 368 deaths per live 100,000 in 2021.
Mr Patrick Omollo, a social worker in Kagadi, said communities should be sensitised about the availability of free Mama Kits, so that those in-charge in health facilities don’t take advantage of their ignorance.
Mr Omollo said women, especially in rural areas, are unaware that the items are free of charge.