By Sunday Amandi

The involvement of men in antenatal care in health facilities is still low in Arua city. Very few men are responsible enough to accompany their pregnant wives to the health facilities for this health care service, and this to a greater extent affects women’s care during pregnancy.
Maternal morbidity and mortality remains high in Uganda largely due to inadequate antenatal care, low skilled deliveries and poor quality of other maternal health services.

According to Tabu Grace, an expectant mother who went for antenatal service at St Assumpta health center III in Ediofe with her partner, men’s involvement in seeking for the service can be supportive to their women in various ways, “I feel good when my husband accepts to come with me to the health facility for antenatal care, this helps us to know our health status and we can take good care of our baby,”Tabu said.
Similarly, Alli Anguyo, her husband encourage his fellow men to support their pregnant women in antenatal care attendance in order to produce healthy babies for a happy family.

Sandra Giramia, an enrolled midwife at St Assumpta health center said, it’s important for men to always be by the side of their women when it comes to attendance of antenatal service. “Men’s involvement in antenatal care attendance enables them to know the health status of their families, and this makes them to take care of their families appropriately, “said Sandra. Men’s involvement in antenatal care is intended to encourage husbands to support women’s care and associated interventions including prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV from pregnancy to delivery, and throughout the postnatal period.