I Just Delivered my 5th child and accessing my antenatal and postnatal care was a lot easier than before…
#Closingthedistance #Accesstohealthcare #Joinus #donate
Ms. Nankumba Lillian is a 28-year- old mother to 5 children and she lives in Kyampengere community located in Uganda. Before Health Access Connect (HAC) started work in her community, she spent years wondering if there would ever be a simpler alternative to access the free safe motherhood services offered at the government health facility, but all was in vain! The only other alternative she resorted to was getting herbs from the community’s traditional birth attendants (TBAs), which was such a risk to her life.
Kyampengere community is one of the furthest remote communities in Lwengo district located in Uganda. Its nearest health facility, Kakoma Health Center III is at least 30km away. Since the men and women mainly depend on subsistence farming as a source of income, they live on average less than $1 a day. The community requires both motorcycle taxis and vehicles to reach far distances, charging them transport costs of up to 40,000 Uganda shillings (US$11) for a to and fro journey.
Due to these high costs, Ms. Nankumba and her fellow pregnant mothers within the community had to suffer and endure the challenge for years, especially during her 4 pregnancies.
“We had to use 40,000 Uganda shillings (US$11) for the journey to Kakoma health facility. When we failed to raise that money, I and my fellow pregnant mothers at that time could resort to getting herbs from the traditional birth attendants here but we could suffer a lot,”
— Ms. Nankumba remembered
The 28-year-old’s eventual end with Traditional birth attendants was when she lost her close friend and their baby during childbirth at the hands of a traditional birth attendant. Ms. Nankuma sadly narrated.
“The birth attendant could assure us that we are going to deliver and that she will help us during delivery. However, when the time for my friend to deliver came, the TBA was unable to help her. My friend lost a lot of blood. We realized late and decided to rush her to Kakoma health facility but it was too late, she and the baby didn’t make it there, they died!”
The mother of 5 said.
Haunted with this fear of losing her own life and her babies as well, Ms. Nankumba had given up on ever receiving the safe motherhood and infant services that she deeply desired to utilize. This was not until she heard an announcement from the Community radio locally known as ‘bizindaalo’, that there were some visitors from Health Access Connect that were to conduct a community meeting. She was curious to know what the meeting was all about, so she attended it
“They told us that they would like to help us have health services brought here to our community. Those health services include antenatal care, immunizations, malaria treatment, and so many others. They also told us that in case we were going to receive medical treatment, we could each contribute 2000 Uganda shillings (US$55 cents), so that we can cover the transport costs of the health workers that have come to attend to us,”
Some of the community members gather around for a community meeting conducted by HAC. The Field Officer speaks to the people about the work HAC does in remote communities
With a smile on her face, the mother continued,
““So much relief came to me because I thought about the 40,000 Uganda shillings (US$11) that we were initially spending on accessing these services, and the 2000 Uganda shillings (55 cents) that we were now to contribute in supporting the transportation of the health workers coming to an outreach clinic in our community. My heart jumped for joy!”
The 28 years older mother, alongside the rest of the community, embraced HAC’s model to link them to healthcare services. Since then, they have never looked back, accessing healthcare became so much easier.
In July 2020, Health Access Connect established a monthly outreach clinic in Kyampengere remote community. Here, close to 100 community members came to seek life-saving health services. HAC made sure to empower and give responsibility to the community health workers of Kyampengere community to coordinate the HAC outreach clinics.
On a monthly basis, medical supplies and health care workers are brought directly to the community, eliminating the need to walk 30km or more for basic health services.
Ms. Nankumba, who had not yet closed the chapter of having more children, reflects on HAC’s impact on her community with gratitude,
“I just delivered my 5th child and they gave me all the required treatment I needed. They also gave me a mosquito net to protect me from the malaria parasite, and they still care for me and my child who is now three weeks old. These days, I take little time to get the health services that I need from the outreach clinic, then I go back home to my business”. In every outreach clinic, HAC staff plan and work to ensure everyone who comes to the clinic’s needs are taken care of.”.
Pregnant chats with the health worker before she receives medical attention.
Through consistently addressing the medical needs of the people of Kyempewo remote community, HAC’s beneficiaries have time and energy to pursue their passions and businesses and rest assured of a healthier life.
“Knowing the struggle that Ms. Nankumba and her friends went through during pregnancy, we acknowledged the vulnerability of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in these remote communities. So we ensure that they are well catered for to have continuous access to safe motherhood and infant health services.” Costaritah Nalukwago, HAC’s Program Manager mentioned
