Making Pregnancy Safer: A Wishful Dream or Achievable? A Case Study of Maternal Health Care in Soroti and Lira Districts, Uganda

The paper presents issues dealing with safer pregnancy in regard to achieving maternal health. It explores subsequent health outcomes linking realities on the ground to the programmes, the health system and policy setting through a comparative analysis between Soroti and Lira districts in Uganda. Soroti was chosen because of its unique contribution towards reducing maternal mortality rates and great improvement in maternal health evidence. Lira on the other was chosen because it demonstrates relative linkage and coordination from the district all the way to community which is important to this research. Specifically, the paper argues that for maternal health to be achieved, commitment and involvement of the; community in which men, women and TBAs are based, the health centers where health workers are involved and the district health offices that coordinates policy implementation. The concern is that Uganda has placed maternal health as one of its priorities but little progress to achieve it is realized. The research recognizes that issues vary from region to region and they arise from both supply and demand. That is why it examines the barriers, looks at how men and women respond to maternal health requirements; analyzing how emergencies and care are handled during and after pregnancy but also integrating women and men’s experiences in the places they chose to seek care. The process is complex because not every issue can be attended to. However the paper examines various alternatives that could be tailor made to suit given settings but aligning them to policy requirements with the hope that pregnancy can be made safer in regards to achieving maternal health.