One of the objectives of Malketha Maternal services is to demystify the role of mental health in Maternal Health and Early Childhood Development; to encourage and facilitate the conversations around maternal mental health and its ripple effect on the health, livelihood and economy of communities and Uganda as a country. The goal is to be part of the collective effort as we strive to achieve the sustainable development goals, Goal 3 in particular (Good health and well-being) and as an avenue for One health.
At the end of June this year, Malketha Maternal services held the first ever, Maternal Mental Health Dialogue at the American Centre. The theme of the dialogue was “Maternal Mental Health: The role of non-physical causes of maternal deaths in Uganda.”
The RSVP-only event was attended by individuals representing different sectors and fields including; Ministry of Health Uganda, Technology, Architecture, Research, and several private organizations. The dialogue was hosted by the Founder of Malketha Maternal Services, Kullein Ankunda with two key speakers. Main topics of discussion included; the relationship between Maternal mental health and maternal mortality, the current interventions in the field of Maternal mental health (if any) in Uganda and internationally, prevalent maternal mental health issues like postpartum depression, mental health interventions for health care givers and the role of the private sector in incorporating maternal mental health into Primary Health Care in Uganda.
Even though the details of discussion remain confidential due to their nature, the participants all signed public declarations regarding what individual action they would each take no matter how small to be a part of the advocacy for maternal mental health services.
For more information regarding Malketha Maternal services, subscribe to our website here