The effect of armed conflict on maternal and child health services in Uganda, 2007-2010

Abstract

The allocation and utilization of maternal and child health (MCH) services has been shown to be severely diminished during periods of protracted conflict. A limited body of research describes the lingering effects that civil war can have on already stressed health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. To assess the effects of conflict on maternal and child health services and outcomes, we analyzed monthly facility records for the four-year period immediately following the Lord’s Resistance Army’s (LRA) occupation of Northern Uganda. Facilities located in high conflict areas reported substantially fewer MCH services between 2007-2010 than those in areas not affected by the LRA conflict. Facilities located in high conflict areas also reported a greater number of maternal and infant deaths between these years and after controlling for HIV prevalence, sanitation, education, facility level, month, and year.