Lyantonde health facility demands water from expectant mothers

Expectant mothers turning up at Mpumudde Health Centre III in Lyantonde District are required to carry a 20-litre water jerrycan to the maternity ward, this publication has established.

The extra demand that each of the expectant mothers must fulfill before accessing the labour ward is a requirement that the management at the facility said helps to supplement on the little water stored for emergency services.

They said they have been without a reliable water supply source for more than a decade. Records at the facility show that between six and 10 mothers deliver at the health centre daily.

While expectant mothers in the area, who get antenatal services at the facility, go prepared to fetch the water before they can access the labour ward, the visiting patients from other districts find the trend shocking. 

The new patients have to always get an extra explanation from the health centre staff and directions to the nearby water source that is about 2kms away from the health centre.

Shocked

Ms Rose Namugenyi, a caregiver who escorted her daughter for delivery at Mpumudde Health Centre III at  the weekend, got shocked when she was asked to first get a 20-litre jerrycan of water before her daughter was allowed to enter the labour ward.

“It is my first time at this health facility and I did not know the place where they fetch the water from. The instruction was that we get the water before the patient can access the services. I ended up paying Shs1,000 to a man who helped bring a 20-litre jerrycan of water to the maternity ward,” she said in an interview.

A section of expectant mothers at the facility said the burden of carrying water to the maternity ward is an extra load for patients who turn up at Mpumudde Health Centre III, especially if they don’t have caregivers. 

“If you have some money, you can pay somebody to go and fetch the water. A 20-litre jerrycan costs between Shs500 and Shs1,000,” a mother who preferred anonymity said. 

But Ms Justine Florence Nalule, a nursing officer at Mpumudde Health Centre III, said the water challenge at the facility is real and has been in existence for a long time, despite the repeated appeals for help from the different stakeholders.

“It is a requirement that expectant mothers bring with them water that will be used at the labour ward for cleaning purposes before and after delivery. A labour ward must have water. Our facility has no tap water,” she said.

Ms Nalule explained that expectant mothers who turn up with caregivers find no big challenge because the latter can fetch the water.

“We are under-staffed and cannot afford to pay cash to individuals to fetch water on behalf of the facility. But we also have some people who can be paid some money to fetch water for a patient who needs it. What we demand is water from each expectant mother before she enters the labour ward,” she added.

The Lyantonde District Health Officer, Dr Moses Nkanika, said the water challenge will soon be addressed under a new plan for extra buildings and a clean water source.

“That problem shall be addressed by next month. We ask our patients to remain calm,” Dr Nkanika said.