Anna Grace Auma, the project coordinator and a lecturer at Lira University explains that pre-service training will not only help in equipping doctors and midwives but also cut the cost of in-service training which has been high and time consuming.
Lira University with support from Center for
International Reproductive Health Training -CIRHT has launched a sexual
reproductive health project.
Although it was conceived as a joint program by Gulu and Lira University, the later signed a Memorandum of Understanding to independently implement the project at its Faculty of Health sciences.
The 250,000 US Dollar project
aims at strengthening sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, strengthen per-service training for doctors and midwives at the affiliated hospitals and the
university, improve training environment for students at both university and
hospitals and to build research capacity of faculty and clinical staff.
Anna Grace Auma, the project coordinator and a
lecturer at Lira University explains that pre- service training will not only help
in equipping doctors and midwives but also cut the cost of in-service training
which has been high and time consuming.
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“We
also plan to have continuous mentorship of students and clinical staff. Here I’m
including clinical staffs because we still have clinical staff in the clinical
sites that would training the students while they are in the hospital.”
Feyssa
Daba Mekdes, the CIRHT Managing Director explained that this is a continuous process in addressing reproductive health issues saying Uganda shares the same
challenges with other countries on the continent.
She however notes that this can only be possible when girls and women are included in the
decision making process.
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Eunice Amaro, a midwife in-charge of Gynecology ward
at Lira Regional Referral Hospital is excited that the project has been
activated because handling reproductive health related issue has been a
challenge for them.
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Having witnessed the situation of children at Holy
Innocent Babies Home-Ngetta, Lawrence Egole, the Lira Resident City
Commissioner is optimistic that the project will help in reducing the number of
abandoned babies in the sub region as well as control the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases.
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So far hospital equipment has been acquired, an audio visual
recording equipment to aid online classes and recording of lectures has been
installed and a family planning clinic has been initiated and is already running at the
University.
