Rapid Response Brief: Interventions to Reduce Perinatal Mortality Burden in Health Facilities in Mukono District

Summary

Mukono district in Uganda continues to experience a substantial burden of perinatal deaths despite official statistics suggesting rates near global targets. The 2025 District Health Information System (DHIS2) data shows a perinatal mortality rate of 11 deaths per 1000 births, but policymakers believe this underestimates the true burden. This brief synthesizes evidence on interventions to reduce perinatal mortality in health facilities, focusing on antepartum and intrapartum periods. Perinatal deaths, including stillbirths and early neonatal deaths, are largely driven by intrapartum complications, infections, respiratory disorders, low birth weight, prematurity, and maternal sickness. Antepartum interventions emphasize early risk identification through strengthened antenatal care, folic acid supplementation, and fetal monitoring. Intrapartum interventions focus on effective labor monitoring, adherence to care around delivery practices, and newborn vaccination. To reduce perinatal mortality in Mukono, it is crucial to improve antenatal care quality, increase awareness of risk factors among pregnant women, empower health workers for timely maternal and fetal monitoring, and ensure adherence to the eight care around delivery practices across health facilities.

Policy message

In Mukono, improving the quality of antenatal care, ensuring timely and consistent maternal and foetal monitoring, and emphasizing the 8 CAD practices during delivery can significantly reduce the perinatal mortality rate across health facilities in the district.

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