Background
Women dying from causes related to childbirth continues to be a big problem in Uganda. Many of these deaths could be prevented if women had access to adequate care during pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period (i.e. the first six weeks after the baby is born). Postnatal care includes physical examinations of the mother and the newborn in order to identify, prevent and treat possible health complications associated with childbirth. Although postnatal care is available in most hospitals in Uganda, the number of mothers who turn up to access these services is very low.

About the project
This project was created to improve postnatal care at Mbarara University Teaching Hospital (MUTH) and Kabale Regional Referral Hospital (KRRH). The project team held training sessions on postnatal care for the doctors and midwives at the two hospitals. They also recruited women who already had given birth and trained them to be peer educators. Pregnant women received information about the postnatal care services available, and when they had given birth they got a discharge letter with specific dates to return for postnatal check-ups. Lastly, the project team started a postnatal care clinic with daily activities, including examinations of mothers and babies, information about breastfeeding, counseling and provision of contraceptives and information about cervical cancer and available screening services.

Results
By the end of this project, the number of women attending the postnatal care clinic had increased. One of the key reasons for this increase was the continuous education given to pregnant women and mothers with newborns on the importance and availability of postnatal care services, thanks to the trained staff members and peer educators. This project has now become part of the routine hospital care, which will ensure that mothers and babies at MUTH and KRRH continue to receive high-quality postnatal care going forward.

Year: 2008/2009