This week MJAP satellite Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) clinics are actively supporting the extended Integrated Child Health Days (ICHD/TB CAST+) campaign in Bugiri District, bringing essential health services closer to communities. The teams have so far conducted outreaches in rural sub-counties of Nankoma, Musongola, Buwererwe, Ndeeba, Busanzi, Ndikafukulya, Kireka, Mugona “A”, Bugona “B”, Through the LPHS-EC Activity, MJAP is leveraging on the ICHD platform to reduce MR1 overwhelming dropout rate of 79% and 54.7% exhibited in Bugiri and Namayingo districts.
LPHS-EC aims to work through and support the public health sector to increase the availability, accessibility, and utilisation of quality integrated immunisation services. Through these community outreaches, immunization, maternal and neonatal, child health, HIV, TB, malaria, sanitation and hygiene screening, prevention, diagnosis and treatment initiation services are offered and appropriate referrals made through all the respective district structures to reduce preventable mortality and morbidity in the served communities.
Integrated Child Health Days in Uganda are biannual campaign-style events held in the months of April-May and October to supplement static – site routine primary healthcare service delivery with the provision of Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, immunisation, and growth monitoring and promotion at the community level. The campaigns are organized by District Health Teams (DHTs) and generally have relied on donor and implementing partner support for intense social mobilization to promote community uptake of these low-cost life-saving public health interventions.
Story By Geofrey Kasumba
Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist
