Reaching every family in Uganda through Integrated Child Health Days
May 25, 2021
Across Uganda, the months of April and October arrive with a special focus on improving child health. Those two months are designated by the Ministry of Health each year as Integrated Child Health Days, when the health sector doubles down on reaching children and families with services like routine immunization, vitamin A supplementation, health promotion and education, increased awareness on water, sanitation and hygiene. Rather than offering services one at a time, health clinics, posts, and workers bundle services to offer a “package” of interventions to parents and children.
Photo: A nurse speaks to a group of women and children at a vaccination event at Gulu Independent Hospital, Uganda. Uganda’s Integrated Child Health Days offer an opportunity to reach women and children with a wide array of lifesaving services. PATH/Will Boase
Esther Alamia is a midwife and a focal point person for baby-friendly health facility initiative at Busiu HCIV, Mbale district, Eastern Uganda. She is used to delivering a lot of babies, but 2021 has brought an unprecedented volume to her health center. The recent “baby boom” in Uganda has been attributed to the COVID-19 lockdown and resulting lack of access to family planning tools and services. Young women and girls have been especially affected. She notes,