The number of Ugandan women dying in childbirth has progressively reduced over the years.  According to the Uganda Health and Demographic Survey, maternal mortality reduced from 418 per 100,000 live births deaths in 2006 to 336/100,000 in 2016.  Even then, some 6,000 women and adolescent girls still die every year from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. For every woman or girl who dies, an estimated 20 or 30 suffer injuries, infections or life-long disabilities including obstetric fistula.

Providing all pregnant women and their infants with the recommended level of maternal and health care would reduce maternal deaths by two thirds. UNFPA works to ensure that pregnant women and their babies have a chance of a healthy life by supporting access to essential and life-saving maternal health services.

UNFPA works in partnership with the Ministry of Health to improve delivery care by strengthening health systems; training health workers, in particular midwives who are then recruited to work in some of the most hard to reach parts of the country. UNFPA supports procurement and delivery of essential medicines and equipment including ambulances. By so doing we ensure that pregnant women, especially those who face life-threatening complications are able to receive life-saving services.  UNFPA also provides programmatic, technical and financial support to generate evidence to support decision making on issues of midwifery education and regulation,  and development of standards and guidelines  for provision quality of care  at heath facilities.

UNFPA also supports efforts to prevent and manage obstetric fistula, one of the most debilitating childbirth complications, by training surgeons and equipping fistula repair centres in 13 regional referral hospitals across the country.