TCI is a model for urban reproductive health funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Research Institute to provide life-saving reproductive health and family planning information and services to individuals, families and communities.
Mukono Health Center IV has received a boost of
Shillings 300 million through partnership with The Challenge Initiative-TCI to
fight early and unwanted pregnancies among women.
TCI is a model for urban reproductive health funded by Bill
and Melinda Gates Research Institute to provide life-saving reproductive health
and family planning information and services to individuals, families and
communities.
It currently operates in 15 countries across
Africa. The model focuses on areas under urban settings. The local leadership
writes to the institute to benefit from the initiative.
Dr. Anthony Kkonde, the Health Inspector Mukono
Municipality, says they expressed interest three years back after realizing
that the maternal death cases they were registering at the facility were associated
with early pregnancies.
Dr. Kkonde reveals that a number of youths have been missing
out on reproductive health engagements due to limited resources exposing many
youths to early marriages resulting in unwanted pregnancies and sexually
transmitted diseases and infections.
Over 50 percent of the women attending the facility for
delivery are below 24 years of age. These include school going children and
unemployed youths. Between 5 and 7 mothers delivering at the health center are
under age.
Dr. Kkonde says that on a monthly basis the
health center receives between 3-5 women with complications resulting from
abortion.
He says that with the financial assistance the facility is now in
position to train its health workers to administer family planning methods and
conduct outreaches to disseminate information of modern family planning methods.
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The facility attends to between 300 and 500 out
patients on a daily basis. It handled 7, 780 deliveries last year, which management
says is done under difficult conditions due limited space and less equipment.
Allan Ssemakula Katamba, the TC I Country
manager advises other leaders in urban settings to express interest if the
project if they are to control population growth and achieve development.
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The Mukono Municipal Mayor, George Fred Kagimu expresses
gratitude for the initiative, saying it will cut down on reproductive health costs.
