Improving Maternal and Child Survival in Kibale and Hoima Districts Through Strengthened Community-Health Facility Linkages and Health Care Service Delivery

The mid-western region of Uganda, specifically the districts of Kibale and Hoima that are targeted for this grant have the poorest Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) indicators in the country with unmet need for Family Planning (FP) 52%, skilled birth attendance 56%, Post Natal Care (PNC) for mothers and newborn within two days of delivery 29% and 9% respectively and 4th Antenatal Care (ANC4) attendance 32.4%. In 2009, Malaria Consortium with funding from Canadian CIDA introduced integrated community case management (iCCM) in all districts in the region. Two community health workers also known as Village Health Teams (VHTs) in Uganda per village were selected and trained to diagnose and treat children under five years with malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. iCCM has significantly improved the indicators of the three diseases in the age group. We are proposing to use this seed grant to expand the scope of VHTs’ work to integrate selected RMNCH services and adolescent health into the proven high impact iCCM program that already exists in the two targeted districts. We will mobilize and engage communities particularly males through Village Health Clubs (VHCs) and creatively roll out Short Massage System (SMS) reminders to pregnant women and their spouses to seek and demand quality care at public as well as private health facilities. This project will also strengthen linkages between community and health facility levels; particularly referral of patients.