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At least 46 expectant Busoga mothers died over blood shortage in 2023 - medics
In this file photo, expectant mothers are seen at Budondo Health Centre IV in Jinja North Division, Jinja City on July 27, 2024. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- They either died before giving birth or during the process of giving birth, health authorities say.
At least 46 expectant mothers and three health workers died in 2023 due to shortage of blood in some public health facilities in Busoga Sub-region, a health official has said.
Dr Aggrey Bameka, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Buwenge General Hospital, who is also the coordinator of Busoga Local Maternity and Neonatal System, stressed that the expectant mothers succumbed to “lack of blood in their bodies.”
“They either died before giving birth or during the process of giving birth. However, one of the reasons for mothers dying during labour is excess bleeding, and if such an expectant mother has very low blood count, her chances of survival are low,” Dr Bameka explained on Saturday.
He added: “An expectant woman with low blood is highly exposed to what we term as postpartum hemorrhage, which is the commonest complication and the leading cause of death of mothers during labour. It is worse when the mother has low blood.”
Dr Ben David Mondo, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, said one of the reasons expectant mothers may lack blood is because of poor diet, poverty and not consuming foods that are rich in vitamins (to generate blood).
Sr Ketty Anena Atube, an Assistant Nursing Officer (Midwifery) at Bugiri Hospital, said last month (July), two mothers died at the facility due to excess bleeding after a Traditional Birth Attendant failed to enable them deliver.
Paul Kaggwa, the Blood Manager Busoga Sub-region, confirmed the need for blood in the area, saying the regional collection is very low and cannot effectively serve the facilities as expected.
According to him, sometimes, there is abuse of blood by health workers, especially junior doctors, who recommend a patient for blood transfusion before consulting a senior doctor.
Selling blood persists
He further noted that the business of selling blood to patients in Busoga by some health workers is thriving at a cost of between Shs50,000-Shs100,000, warning that culprits will face the law.
“We have a system to trace the blood units we collect and in which facility it has been used. Unfortunately, sometimes we end up locating the (blood) units in private clinics where it is not recommended for transfusion. But soon, we are going to act on such health workers,” Kaggwa emphasized.
He also noted that some doctors often opt to put patients on blood transfusion when their blood levels are 9, 10, 11, and “where blood is not necessary for a patient,” causing shortages.
According to him, they can collect only 150 units of blood within a month, with most donors being students while about 20 units of blood are drawn from the communities, a low collection attributed to poor feeding and associated illnesses.
Meanwhile, Jinja Regional Referral Hospital health worker Sr Joselyn Nalujja encouraged husbands to ensure that their wives are maintained on a balanced diet upon conceiving and visit a health centre at least eight times before childbirth.
