By Prossy Kisakye
As Uganda prepares to join the rest of the world to commemorate International Health Safety Day, the ministry of health encourages expecting mothers to go early for routine antenatal care to reduce the number of premature babies.
Speaking to the media in Kampala, Dr Elizabeth Namagara, commissioner of quality assurance from the ministry, said the safety of a mother and the newborn highly depends on special care given to mothers in antenatal care.
She revealed that 30% of babies dying before the age of five are premature noting that this can be reduced if pregnant mothers attend antenatal care in time.
Meanwhile, Namagara encouraged pregnant mothers to always deliver from hospitals for safe delivery and supporting newborns with complications.
The international day for Health Safety will be celebrated next week on Friday with the main focus put on the safety of mothers and their newborn babies.