Iganga District Woman MP Grace Hailat Kaudha Magumba early Saturday morning succumbed to preeclampsia, a type of high blood pressure common in pregnant women.

The young legislator (in her late 20s) was laid to rest on Sunday.

She was five-months pregnant.

Preeclampsia is a condition during pregnancy where there is a sudden rise in blood pressure and swelling, mostly in the face, hands and feet. The condition is the most common complication during pregnancy and labour, according to gynaecologists.

Reports indicate that Hailat had been rushed to a Kitintale clinic where she was referred to Case clinic. But preeclampsia required a gynaecologist who could be found at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

The MP was rushed to Mulago’s Kawempe extension. Sadly, she breathed her last 30 minutes on arrival.

Haliat’s death is one of the high profile cases of women dying in labour, the reason it attracted media attention.

But for many less-privileged, cases of women dying due to pregnancy complications are commonplace and will just be treated as statistics.

According to UNICEF and ministry of Health statistics, 16 women die every day while giving birth.

This figure is just the average, the number of those who died that day might have even been higher.

Our hospitals and medical staff need more attention if women are to stop dying while giving life.