By Irene Best Nyapendi

In the developing world, having a baby will be the riskiest thing a woman will do. Yet in many cases, mothers there deliver without any skilled attendant.

This is what makes organizations such as Save the Mothers (STM) relevant, according to Dr. Edward Mukooza the former Interim Director of STM, who handed over the directorship role to Dr. Mushin Nsubuga at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Florence Mirembe Hall. 

STM believes that a multi-disciplinary approach is needed to save some of the 342,000 mothers and four million children who die in the developing world annually due to unsafe childbirth.

Dr. Mukooza notes that STM is highly relevant due to the high maternal and child mortality rates in Uganda. As a result, there is a lot of work to be done by Nsubuga, to seek support and mobilize resources.

He explained that saving the mothers requires resources, connections, partnerships, and people.

“I expect that he will strengthen the teaching of the Master of Public Health Leadership (MPHL) program because it is an important component of saving the mothers,” Mukooza said.

The STM Program offers MPHL to working professionals from a wide range of disciplines, not just the health discipline. STM East Africa hosts the MPHL at UCU.

Florence Mirembe, the founder of Save the Mothers at UCU, thanked Mukooza for filling in while they searched for a permanent executive director.

She urged Nsubuga to collaborate with alumni and ensure that the MPHL students are well-assessed and taught.

“We are all ready to support you Nsubuga, create a good alumni network, and attract as many students as possible,” Mirembe said.

UCU Welcomes Dr. Mushin Nsubuga to STM Board

Dr. Miriam Mutabazi, the Dean of the UCU Faculty of Public Health, Nursing & Midwifery, expressed gratitude towards STM for their partnership with UCU and is thrilled to see this partnership continue.

“On behalf of UCU, I welcome you, Dr. Mushin, and we look forward to working with you,” Mutabazi said. “We value the Save the Mothers program because of its BPHL initiative. We are confident that once we introduce the Ph.D. program, our alumni will return to further their studies.”

Mutabazi mentioned that they are currently planning to offer a PhD program and hope that MPHL students will be able to enroll in it.

Dr. Mushin Nsubuga, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, was given a warm welcome to the board.

Nsubuga expressed gratitude to the founders for creating an opportunity for everyone to participate in saving mothers in their respective sectors.

He mentioned that saving mothers is close to his heart and he is grateful to God for calling him to this important work.

“No mother or baby should die from preventable causes,” Nsubuga said.

He expressed his gratitude to Mukooza, his predecessor, for imparting valuable knowledge and skills. Additionally, he acknowledged Mukooza for the warm welcome and confidently stated his hope for continued mentorship.

 “The first time I interacted with Dr. Mukooza I felt like I was in the hands of a father and he has successfully taken me through orientation.”

Nsubuga looks forward to training game changers, promoting initiatives that make hospitals more baby-mother friendly, ensuring the availability of necessary services, encouraging community involvement, and conducting research.

During the handover, he urged members present to continue supporting maternal health. He also read from Philippians 4:13, which states that we can do all things through God who strengthens us.

STM promotes maternal health in the developing world through education, public awareness, and advocacy. Based in Uganda and North America, Save the Mothers is part of a global movement to improve the health of mothers and babies.