International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

A former member of the Ugandan parliament has urged the country's government to invest more heavily in reproductive health.

According to Ruth Kavuma, ex-representative of Kalangala, politicians have often refused requests to put money into this area, the New Vision reports.

This, she said, is because they argue that investment in "infrastructural development" such as new roads and health facilities is sufficient.

However, Ms Kavuma insisted that funds must be "directly channelled towards buying reproductive health supplies".

She added that trying to get more money for this specific area has proved to be "one of the biggest challenges we face" in recent times.

Nevertheless, progress does appear to be being made, with the Ugandan government this week confirming it is increasing its budget allocation for family planning supplies.

This could help to tackle issues such as maternal mortality and change attitudes to modern means of contraception among people in the country.

Posted by David Smith