Launching the webinar Series: Strengthening product ecosystems for maternal & newborn health
August 20, 2025
A four-part series on increasing access to quality, life-saving maternal and newborn health products.
Country action
Uganda
©UNICEF/WHO.Attribution needed
Every Woman Every Newborn in Uganda
Download the full profile with additional key demographics, progress against milestones, and more.
This profile was developed in May 2023, using data from 2018-2023.
©UNICEF/Quarmyne.
National mortality targets
Maternal mortality ratio
219 per 100,000 live births by 2025
Stillbirth rate
No data
Neonatal mortality rate
18 per 1,000 live births by 2023
Progress to meet the national maternal, newborn mortality and stillbirth reduction targets
©UNICEF/WHO.
Progress to meet Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere coverage targets
MNH Acceleration Plan highlights
In 2024, the priorities in Uganda’s MNH Acceleration Plan include:
- Scale up high-impact interventions for small and sick newborns
- Improve the quality of emergency obstetric and newborn care and the care of the small and sick newborn.
- Improve the quality of the data, particularly on stillbirth registration, civil registration and vital statistics and Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response.
- Develop an investment case for newborn health.
©UNICEF/Quarmyne. Redait Tsegay, beneficiary, going to a health center, Neqsege
©UNICEF/Quarmyne. Attribution needed
Quality of care in Uganda
Uganda is one of the 11 countries that set-up the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Ghana’s successes in improving quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health are essential to help reduce maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths. These include:
- A National Quality of Care Framework & Strategic Plan is implemented.
- The World Health Organization’s standards to improve quality of maternal and newborn care, small and sick newborns care, and children and young adolescents care in health facilities are adopted.
- A National Safe Motherhood Executive Committee set up – a team of experts that supports the development and review of clinical guidelines, monitors maternal and newborn health and follows-up on actions to accelerate the reduction of mortality and morbidity in mothers and children.
- A first cycle of quality improvement mentorship for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health was conducted to build capacity of frontline teams to provide quality care, and grow the local capacity to cascade and sustain the intervention.
- Quality of care activities for maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCAH) expanded as part of the National RMNCAH/Global Financing Facility investment case.
- Advocacy is underway for a customized approach to implementing MPDSR in Ugandan refugee settings in order to best serve the immediate needs of people in crisis, and support health-care providers in providing care to the most vulnerable populations.
News and events
New guide on respectful maternal and newborn care
August 11, 2025
A new implementation guide to help countries provide respectful, dignified care and eliminate mistreatment across maternal and newborn health services
New online course on caring for preterm and low birthweight babies
July 30, 2025
Free educational course on “Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care for Preterm and Low Birthweight Babies.”
Resources
Compendium on respectful maternal and newborn care
August 7, 2025
The compendium supports efforts to end mistreatment and achieve respectful maternal and newborn care. It is published by WHO together with UNFPA, UNICEF and the United Nations’ Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP), with support from Jhpiego and the MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership programme.
Maternal and Newborn Health Fund Annual Impact Report 2024
July 16, 2025
UNFPA released the Maternal and Newborn Health Fund Annual Impact Report 2024. Since 2010, countries supported by the Maternal and Newborn Health Fund have reduced maternal mortality by 40%, nearly twice the global rate, contributing to avert an estimated 75,000 maternal deaths. The Maternal and Newborn Health Fund is UNFPA’s flagship initiative to expand equitable access to quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn healthcare.
Programme manager’s handbook for maternal, child and adolescent health
July 2, 2025
The World Health Organization maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health e-handbook is a new resource for Ministry of health programme managers. It offers step-by-step guidance for implementing effective health programmes, from planning to monitoring and evaluation, with concise overviews of key activities and interventions along the life course.
The e-handbook references WHO documents, to ensure that programme managers have access to evidence-based strategies and best practices tailored to various contexts.
This e-handbook contains a prioritised list of documents; for a full list of documents go to the resource library for maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and ageing: https://uhcc.who.int/mca/