The promotion and protection of the right to access maternal health care for refugee women in Uganda: a case study of Nakivale Refugee Settlement

Abstract

The study was carried out with the general objective of examining the promotion and protection of the right to access maternal health care for refugee women in Uganda with particular reference to Nakivale refugee settlement. The specific objectives were; to examine the legal and policy frameworks, to assess the socio-economic and institutional factors that hinder the promotion and protection of the right in question and to establish the strategies for enhancing the promotion and protection of the right to access maternal health care services for refugee women in Nakivale refugee settlement. A qualitative approach of a case study research design to reach an in-depth understanding of how refugee women in Nakivale relate to maternal health care services was used. Data collection methods of in-depth interviews while using an interview guide as a data collection tool on an accessible target population to collect information from a sample of 20 refugee married men and women and 10 key informants was used in order to choose participants who were more productive to be engaged in the study. The study ascertained that the promotion and protection of the right to access maternal health care services of refugee women in Nakivale settlement is largely inhibited by the weak legal and policy frame works on health/maternal health which creates a gap between policy and practice making it difficult for refugee women to access maternal health care services coupled with the socio-economic and institutional barriers. The study findings revealed significant approaches both government and private actors to improve maternal health care accessibility within refugee settings. The study recommended that; the Ministry of Health should; prioritize maternal health by recruiting more medical workers in health facilities within the settlement, the development partners should increase financial support for maternal health care programs in refugee areas, the Government of Uganda, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and other development partners should combine efforts in providing funding for drugs in health centers within refugee areas and finally, the study recommended that the Government of Uganda and other development partners should recruit and train some translators who can assist medical workers and refugees with language interpretation, speech and hearing impairment.