Uganda’s National Medical Stores (NMS) has insisted that Mama Kits – childbirth packs provided to mothers in government hospitals – are free of charge.

The government agency also urged communities to help protect the supplies from abuse.

“Mama Kits are not for sale. They are free for every mother in public health facilities,” said NMS spokesperson Sheila Nduhukire.

“If anyone demands money, it is exploitation. We need mothers and local leaders to report it.”

Each Mama Kit contains gloves, cotton wool, gauze, soap, umbilical tape, a razor blade and a plastic sheet.

The packs are credited with improving maternal health, helping reduce Uganda’s maternal mortality rate to 189 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with over 400 a decade ago. Facility deliveries have also increased to 74%.

NMS says it delivers the kits to health facilities across the country. But some mothers still report paying.

“We were told to buy gloves. Later I heard the kits were sold in town,” said Justine Nankya in Mukono.

Analysts say such cases, often due to hoarding or diversion, discourage women from using health facilities.

Campaigners argue that eliminating informal charges could raise hospital deliveries above 80%, saving thousands of lives.

Nduhukire stressed NMS’s commitment.

“We deliver to the last mile. Communities and leaders must now work with us to ensure mothers receive what is theirs,” she said.

Maternal health specialists are recommending practical reforms: posters in maternity wards explaining that Mama Kits are free, toll-free hotlines for reporting abuse, and stronger district supervision.

For NMS, the message remains firm: the government is investing heavily in safe childbirth.

“No mother should fear being asked to pay,” Nduhukire said. “Mama Kits are free – and they must remain free.”