Importance of Midwives in Rural Uganda

Midwives and nurses make up 75% of health professionals in Uganda. 43% of midwives and nurses work in rural Uganda where 80% of the population lives.

Midwives are oftentimes the only health professional in their community and it is possible that they are the only health professional a Ugandan might see during the course of his or her lifetime.

According to UNICEF, since 2000 the maternal and infant mortality rates have been declining in Uganda. The numbers are going in a positive direction but, unfortunately, these rates remain well above the global average of 152 per 100,000 live births. Today per 100,000 live births 348 mothers die within the first month of delivery falling from 438 deaths in 2014. In 2021, infant mortality rates are decreasing. In 2021 per 1,000 live births 42 infants die having fallen from 44 deaths in 2019.

One of the major reasons these numbers are declining is the presence of midwives. However, the need for more midwives is great. There are too few academic institutions to accommodate the growing demand. As a result, some midwives are practicing without the appropriate educational background; others leave for other countries where the pay and benefits are greater.

St. Mary’s Midwifery Training School in Kalongo, Northern Uganda, has been consistently rated one of the best midwifery schools in Uganda. Since its establishment in 1959 all graduates have received certification from the Ugandan government. The application process is rigorous. The educational background is not the only thing that is considered. Many of the students come from rural Uganda and are dedicated to serving in small villages that are desperately underserved. Sister Carmel, Principal, has a philosophy, “I listen to and study an applicant’s heart. Academics can be taught but compassion cannot be.” Her philosophy is serving Uganda well because the majority of St. Mary’s graduates return to the countryside under stressful conditions and minimum equipment.

St. Mary’s motto, “To Love and Serve with Joy,” is much more than words. The visitor to St. Mary’s sees quickly those words manifesting into the behaviors and gestures of daily academic life. This the graduates take into their professional lives as they work with mothers and their babies as well as other villagers who need the assistance of a health care professional.