Pregnant mothers in Kitholhu Sub-county, Kasese District, have appealed to the government to establish a Health Centre III in the area to improve access to maternal healthcare services.
Kitholhu is among the hard-to-reach sub-counties in Kasese District, where the mountainous terrain and poor road networks continue to affect the delivery of essential government services, including healthcare and education.
The sub-county, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, has a growing population, but residents say the available health facilities are inadequate to meet the increasing demand for maternal healthcare.
Expectant mothers are forced to travel long distances to access maternity services at Kiraro Health Centre III, a situation they say exposes them to transport challenges, high costs and difficulties in accessing timely medical attention.
Jannet Masika and Sannet Masika, both expectant mothers from Kasinga Village in Kitholhu Sub-county, told our reporter that accessing maternity services remains a major challenge, particularly during delivery.
The two said they have lived in the area since childhood and continue to experience difficulties accessing healthcare services, calling for government intervention.
“We have stayed in this region since our childhood and were married here. We suffer a lot during delivery because we have to walk long distances to access maternity services,” they said.
The mothers also proposed that the government provide the sub-county with a medical transport tricycle to help respond to emergencies and facilitate referrals to other health facilities, including Bwera General Hospital.
Isaac Muhindo, whose wife is expecting, said he has resorted to making early arrangements to ensure that his wife stays near a health facility ahead of delivery.
Muhindo explained that he plans to relocate with his wife to a nearby health facility about a month before her expected delivery date to avoid the challenges associated with travelling long distances during labour.
“I will have to leave my children and family a month before delivery to take my wife near the health centre so that she does not experience the challenges of walking long distances,” Muhindo said.
Meanwhile, Sunday Stephen, the LC I Chairperson of Kiraro Village, asked the government to prioritise road construction and improvement to ease connectivity between the sub-county and Bwera General Hospital.
He said better road infrastructure would enable pregnant mothers to access emergency maternal healthcare services more easily.
Sarahi Kibaya, the Kitholhu Sub-county LC III Chairperson, said the growing population has put pressure on the existing health facilities, calling for the construction of additional health centres to improve service delivery.
Meanwhile, Kasese District Local Government has introduced salary enhancements for public servants working in hard-to-reach institutions, including health facilities and schools, as part of efforts to motivate staff working in difficult conditions.
By Masereka Danson
