Spotlight: Pregnant mothers urged to go for Covid-19 jab
As Uganda continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, health experts have encouraged pregnant mothers to get vaccinated.
The remarks were made during Spotlight Show on NBS television on Monday night under the topic: “Delivery of maternal and child health service during the Covid-19 era”
Dr. JP. Bagala, the executive director of Women Health and Research Institute explained that it is very important for pregnant mothers to go and get vaccinated against the pandemic to prevent other complications in case they contract the virus.
"In case you get the virus, and you are not vaccinated, the chances of going into a critical state are high in pregnant mothers. Covid-19 is a new disease in our midst. There is a lot of research that is happening ever since the pandemic started," he said.
Bagala said findings indicate that there are no effects of the vaccines on a pregnant mothers, their unborn babies, or mothers who have just delivered and their newly born babies.
"The findings that has been backed by the current statistics is that a mother who is pregnant or a mother who has just delivered, if they contract Covid-19, there are chances of going to a critical state. Pregnancy alone is a risk indicator for a severe diseases for Covid-19 patients,”he said.
The Principal Medical Officer, Reproductive and Child Health Department at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Robert Mutumba said as much as Ugandans talk about respectful maternal care, the clinician should ensure that the quality of care rhymes with the medical standards.
"What many people don't know is that people waste a lot of time seeking help from people who aren't health professionals and are then referred to high-level facilities when things are worse," he said.
With the lifting of the movement restrictions, Mutumba said that there an increase in the uptake of antenatal care services.
"The ministry of Health is rolling out a group antenatal care model. This model will see that mothers in different age groups are attended to differently. You wouldn't want an expectant mother to attend the same services with a new mother,”he said.
