Expanding our Reach — Prioritizing Prenatal Healthcare
Imagine being pregnant and feeling reluctant to visit a doctor for prenatal care due to barriers of distance, transportation, and cost. Then imagine having the same issues when you go into labor, so you just decide to give birth at home instead—in a small hut with no electricity or running water! Unfortunately these are challenges faced by too many women in eastern Uganda. It’s an issue we are working to address at our St. John’s Kayoro Health Center. As the capacity and geographic reach of the clinic has grown, our staff decided to add prenatal care to one of our “regular” rural health outreaches.
The clinic staff addressed the health of rural residents as usual, but also offered specialized care for pregnant women. Using the cot from our new ambulance (our staff is resourceful!), our nurses did pregnancy check-ups in women’s homes. They also administered ultrasound scans, delivered education about continued care, and had discussions with the men about the importance of clinic visits for pregnant wives and daughters. Six women showed up for this first-ever activity and their appreciation for the effort was very evident. All six women agreed to make the effort to visit St. John’s Kayoro Health Center for continued pregnancy care and committed to giving birth at the facility.
This was a great example of our clinic staff identifying a need in the community and working to find a way to address it, even within limited budgets. Here in the U.S., we will now be working to find the funds needed to make these outreaches happen consistently.
Learn more about our work with pregnant women and health care in general.
I was happy to receive education about my pregnancy. All of my questions were addressed by the St. John’s Kayoro Health Center staff. This was the first ultrasound scan I have done and I am happy to learn that my baby is developing in a healthy manner.
-Adikin Sandra
