By KT Reporter
Gulu City is hosting the Global Conference to Advance Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the first of its kind in the region.
The three-day conference, which kicked off on Wednesday, has drawn policymakers, health professionals, and academics from 22 countries within and outside Africa.
Themed “Improving the Quality of SRHR through Pre-Service Training, Research, and Evidence-Based Clinical Care Delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa,” The conference is organised by the Centre for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT) in partnership with Gulu University and Lira University.
Why Gulu Was Chosen
Dr Pebalo Pebolo, Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, and head of the Reproductive Health Department at Gulu University, told journalists at a press briefing that the university’s long-standing partnership with CIRHT since 2020 gave it the edge in securing hosting rights. The University competed with two other academic institutions from South Africa and Zambia.
“We are happy and proud to host this conference in Gulu. It was a competitive process, but as a Ugandan team, we were able to bring it here,” Dr Pebolo said.
Dr Pebalo noted that the University’s collaboration with CIRHT over the years has strengthened pre-service training, improved clinical services, and built capacity in reproductive health.
According to Dr Pebalo, through the collaboration, their progress in reproductive health training is now being recognised globally, adding that the conference gives the University a chance to showcase their work and ideas.
Dr Tamrat Endale, Managing Director of CIRHT lauded Gulu and Lira universities for their leadership in transforming reproductive health education and care, not only in Northern Uganda but the country as a whole.
“Our ultimate goal is to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity across Sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda has made great progress in the past decade, and through this partnership with Gulu and Lira universities, we are preparing future providers to address these challenges,” Dr Endale said.
He added that CIRHT’s work focuses on strengthening curricula, improving clinical service delivery, and building a new generation of African researchers capable of producing locally relevant, evidence-based solutions.
Dr Solomon Beza, the Technical Director of CIRHT, however, emphasised that the conference is not just a scientific meeting but a platform to transform women’s health across the African continent.
“This conference brings together participants from 24 African countries, both Anglophone and Francophone, as well as partners from North America. It is a truly global space for sharing knowledge, networking, and collaboration,” Dr Beza explained.
According to Dr Beza, one of the key problems driving high maternal deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of essential, basic skills among health care service providers, and he stressed that a skilled workforce is the backbone of accessible and quality SRHR services.
“If you have a competent health workforce, no woman should die from preventable maternal causes. Our work is ultimately about eliminating those unnecessary deaths.” He said.
The conference program, which kicked off officially today, includes scientific presentations and poster sessions covering family planning, maternal health, adolescent SRHR, and safe abortion care.
Delegates also had the opportunity to tour Gulu Regional Referral Hospital to observe firsthand how investments in training and clinical care have improved outcomes in SRHR.
Dr Pebolo noted that reproductive health services in Northern Uganda have already seen improvements, including higher uptake of family planning and better post-abortion care.
“This is about saving lives. No mother should die from preventable causes in the 21st century,” he said.
The conference is the third biannual edition where global experts convene to discuss and share ideas on SRHR, following earlier meetings in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, in 2019 and in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2022.
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