Uganda's Ministry of Health has called on parents to make regular visits to health centres both when planning a pregnancy and while pregnant, saying this can help prevent birth defects. The appeal was made during a Youth Summit for people living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, according to NTV Uganda.
The summit brought together young people affected by the two conditions. NTV Uganda reports that its aims were to exchange ideas, offer mutual encouragement and explore ways of lowering the number of children born with these conditions.
Spina bifida and hydrocephalus are the two conditions at the centre of the ministry's message. The ministry's advice, as reported by NTV Uganda, links consistent contact with health services — before conception and throughout pregnancy — to efforts to prevent such conditions.
The reporting did not include further details on the specific measures health workers recommend, the number of people affected, or where the summit took place. No figures on birth defects in Uganda were provided in the source material.
The ministry's call places emphasis on planning and antenatal visits as a preventive step rather than on care after a child is born with a defect. The youth summit was framed as a forum for sharing experience and ideas among people living with these conditions.
It remains to be seen whether the ministry will set out more detailed guidance or follow-up programmes after the summit.
