The Ministry of Health has called for greater involvement of men in reproductive health programmes, arguing that their participation is essential to improving maternal and child health outcomes and strengthening family wellbeing.
The call was made on Tuesday as stakeholders concluded a validation meeting for Uganda’s Male Engagement Strategy and Implementation Plan at Fairway Hotel in Kampala.
Closing the meeting, the Commissioner for Reproductive and Child Health, Dr. Richard Mugahi, said male engagement should become a central pillar of reproductive health programming because men significantly influence health-seeking behaviour at household and community levels.
Dr. Mugahi also urged policymakers to integrate mental health into all reproductive health programmes, describing it as one of Uganda’s fastest-growing public health concerns that can no longer be treated as a separate issue.
He said addressing mental health alongside reproductive health would improve the effectiveness of health interventions and ensure more comprehensive care for families.
The commissioner further called for more integrated service delivery models, citing the decline of the once-successful Youth-Friendly Corners initiative.
According to Dr. Mugahi, the programme initially improved access to youth-friendly reproductive health services but gradually lost momentum after health facilities established multiple standalone service corners, resulting in fragmented service delivery.
He said future interventions should prioritise integrated and sustainable approaches that maximise available resources while expanding access to quality reproductive health services.
The validation meeting brought together officials from the Ministries of Health, Gender, Labour and Social Development, and Education and Sports, alongside development partners including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Health Educators and Promoters Uganda (HEPs-Uganda).
Participants reviewed the draft Male Engagement Strategy and its implementation plan, which is intended to guide efforts to strengthen men’s participation in reproductive health programmes across the country.
The Ministry of Health says the strategy is expected to provide a coordinated framework for increasing male involvement in reproductive health services as part of broader efforts to improve health outcomes for women, children and families in Uganda.
