HIV/AIDS Testing kit

A new report shows that youth demand for the lowering of the age consent for HIV/AIDS testing for the young generation. This was revealed by the young people in the base line survey conducted in Luwero and Nakasongola districts by the community health Alliance Uganda on top of other districts in Buganda and Busoga  under the project known as Linkup project funded by the embassy of Netherlands in Uganda focusing on the reproductive health, rights and HIV integration among the young people.

The youth in the report said that the consent age for HIV/AIDS testing should move from 18 years to 12 years to accommodate many of the young generation since some of them could be getting this disease at early age.
The head of the project evaluation Prof. Narathius Asingirwire while releasing this report at imperial Royale hotel in Kampala said that there should be scale up of advocacy interventions that that focus on access to services among young vulnerable people which include availing space for youth corners in most of the health facilities to enable them freely test for Sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The report shows that 95% of the youth in districts of Nakasongola, Luwero, Kampala, Wakiso, Jinja, Mukono, Kayunga, Kamuli, Mayuge, Namutumba and Bugiri now know the availability of HIV/AIDS testing services within their communities and 80% reported using condoms to avoid STIs. The survey covered 0ver 3000 young people in 11 districts carried on Bodaboda riders, female sex workers, Trucker drivers, fishing community, teenage mothers among others.

The Acting Director  General of Health service Dr.Anthony Mbonye said that the ministry of health will work with development partners to mobilize communities for better seeking practices for illnesses and diseases.

The Netherlands Ambassador to Uganda Alphons Hennekens said that his country will continue invest much in realization of sexual and reproductive health supplies including promoting health rights and HIV/AIDS prevention among young people.

The post Youth call for HIV testing age to move from 18 to 12 years first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

A section of Ugandans have embarked on a massive campaign that is geared towards compelling government through parliament to make adjustments in the current laws governing safe abortion, with the campaign seeing the activists collecting over a million signatures to be used to petition the coming parliament to work on their call.

According to the Commissioner reproductive health at the Ministry of health, Colline Tusingwire condemned unsafe abortions saying they have continued to claim many lives in the country adding that failure to recognize the vice yet it is with us will mean more lives will continue to be lost.

Meanwhile, the outgoing president of the Association of gynaecologists, Dr. Charles Kigundu, mentioned that 840 pregnancies are terminated daily saying this sometimes costs many lives of Ugandans causing government to spend UGX.7.5Bn to extend care to women and girls who have had problems due to unsafe abortions.

The advocacy officer, at Center for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), Joyious Akira, confirms that unsafe abortions account for an estimated 26% of preventable maternal deaths in Uganda which now calls for the country to prioritize sexual reproductive health.

The world today, 28th of September, marks the International day on Safe Abortion.

International Campaign Video on Safe Abortion

The post Activists launch massive campaign on safe abortion first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Speaking to journalists the secretary general of the Uganda parliamentary forum on food security, population and development Mathias Kasamba says that the unmet need of family planning in Uganda can be solved by ensuring that financial pledges towards health sector are realized.

He also urges the country to develop programs that target the poor living in urban and peri-urban areas who can not access these service.

Current reports indicate that among the 1000 women who die daily as the result of preventable pregnancy related causes 570 are from Africa, 300 from south Asia and 5 are from developed countries.

The post Government urged on universal access to reproductive health first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) regulations and guidelines provide that no woman or foetus or baby should die or be harmed by pregnancy or birth.

The WHO urges world governments to work for reduction of mortality rates to half of the 2500 levels by the year 2015.

But in this article our major factor is on the purposes of screening in reproductive health services.

So we have outlined these purposes for you bellow: Screen for HIV/AIDS/STDs, monitor progress of pregnancy, gather baseline information on the health status of the woman for future reproductive reference, establish nutritional status of a women preconception during pregnancy and post partum and identify reproductive and related problems.

The post Purposes of screening in reproductive health services first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The WHO urges world governments to work for reduction of mortality rates to half of the 2500 levels by the year 2015.

But in this article our major factor is on the purposes of screening in reproductive health services.

So we have outlined these purposes for you bellow: Screen for HIV/AIDS/STDs, monitor progress of pregnancy, gather baseline information on the health status of the woman for future reproductive reference, establish nutritional status of a women preconception during pregnancy and post partum and identify reproductive and related problems.

The post Purposes of screening in reproductive health services first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

“When you go for HIV test, they (health workers) wonder why you are carrying out the test. They think we are not sexually active. When we also go for family planning services, they curiously look at you,” the women said. “These are some of the reasons why we don’t go for family planning or why we produce our children from our homes.”

They noted that many men don’t want to use condoms, deny paternity of children born by women with disabilities, and don’t want to identify with their disabled spouses.

Other challenges pointed out were inaccessibility to health centres, inaccessible labour beds rudeness of health workers towards expectant mothers. The sensitization was made through two workshops; one targeting women and the other targeting sexual and reproductive health service providers including health workers, traditional birth attendants and local leaders, who were trained about the needs and concerns of women with disabilities when it comes to sexual and reproductive health. The women were sensitized about managing their relationships and also used the workshop as a platform for sharing their sexual experiences. However, the women were more excited when it came to training in using a female condom the majority of whom had never seen.

The purpose of the sensitization was to equip the women with skills and knowledge to manage their sexual and reproductive health to minimise problems related to unwanted pregnancies, having multiple partners, engaging in unprotected sex, among others.

The post Excitement as women with disabilities are sensitized about their sexual rights first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Betty Nambooze

Nambooze has said early pregnancy, strictness at workplaces; inadequate modern facilities and abandonment of caring for pregnant mothers have led to death during birth.

She was addressing local government leaders at Collin Hotel, Mukono.

She has said over 342, 900 women die every year, due to Reproduction Health problems.

Nambooze has called upon leaders to put aside their political differences and work together to take care of pregnant women, ensure that qualified staff is recruitment, change attitude and advocate for reproductive health.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Betty Nambooze appeal for better reproductive health in Mukono first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.