Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies in Uganda
Assen Kamwesigye | OBGYN | Mbale, Uganda | 2023 Global HEAL Fellow
Strengthening healthcare workers’ systems thinking skills has demonstrated impact on improving care, reducing error, and improving patient outcomes.
88%
Of fellows report HEAL has changed their approach to work in healthcare.
In Mbale, Uganda, Dr. Assen Kamwesigye, an OBGYN, often saw young girls arrive at her clinic with dangerous complications from unsafe abortions. Assen is not alone in this—unsafe abortions contribute to 26% of maternal deaths in Uganda in part because of the criminalization of abortion in the country. Many of Assen’s patients returned just months after their initial visit with another unwanted pregnancy. Equipped with the systems thinking, asset-mapping, and advocacy skills from her time at HEAL, Assen looked at how she could address the root cause of these life-threatening abortion complications. Assen heard from her coworkers that, as a result of patient load and overflowing clinics, they were often too busy to spend time counseling patients about family planning options.
So she came up with a simple fix that built on the strengths of her clinic and team: installing a TV in the ward where women with abortion complications are attended to, that played short videos about contraception options. The videos gave the patients essential information while freeing up staff to focus on answering questions and providing long-term birth control. The result? Fewer repeat complications, fewer unwanted pregnancies, and more girls with the chance to plan their futures. HEAL strengthens healthcare workers’ ability to analyze systems and mobilize community assets, allowing them to prevent poor health outcomes before they arrive in the clinic. In fact, 88% of fellows report that HEAL has changed their approach to work in healthcare.