Health rights activists in Uganda have hailed a supreme court ruling that the constitutional court must hear a petition on whether the government is liable for failing to provide decent maternal health services.
In a unanimous decision, the constitutional court was found to have wrongfully dismissed a 2012 petition that argued the Uganda government should be held liable for failure to provide sound maternity services, a shortcoming that claims the lives of an estimated 16 Ugandan women a day. The petition was filed by health campaigners and led by the Center for Health Human Rights and Development (Cehurd).
According to official figures, for every 100,000 live births in Uganda, 435 mothers die from pregnancy- and birth-related complications.
The case related to Sylvia Nalubowa, who in 2009 died at Mityana hospital, a government facility in central Uganda, following an obstructed labour.
Fifteen months later, Jennifer Anguko, a local government councillor, died in Arua regional referral hospital in north-west Uganda. She also suffered an obstructed labour.
In both cases, there were reports that medical staff had demanded money before attending to the women and neglected their duties. Read more
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