Dr. Heinrich Travels to Uganda on Health Mission This December
Demetra Heinrich, an obstetrician/gynecologist physician at Alomere Health and parishioner of the Church of St. Mary’s, will travel to Uganda on a health mission for two weeks this December.
“I trained as an Ob-Gyn so I could best help women,” said Dr. Heinrich. “I particularly wanted to help rural women access quality obstetrical and gynecological care. I have strived to do this locally in Alexandria and would also like to do so in a rural, under-served, developing country.”
Dr. Heinrich will travel to Jinja, Uganda, with Catholic World Mission/Maternal Life International where she will lead classes and collaborate with rural hospital nurses and midwives on identifying and treating problems at labor and delivery units including post-partum hemorrhage, labor management, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, and maternal sepsis.
Dr. Heinrich has a long history of international service and health work. She spent a year after graduating from college working at children’s homes in Kenya, Thailand and Indonesia with the International Humanity Foundation. During medical school she traveled to Malawi and studied global health at a hospital there.
Maternal Life International was founded in 1997, and Catholic World Mission acquired it in 2025. Catholic World Mission is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving maternal and family health with training and resources for safe pregnancies and deliveries. It operates its Safe Passages and Faithful House programs throughout Africa. Safe Passages trains rural healthcare workers in best practices to manage obstetrical complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and newborn asphyxia that lead to maternal and newborn deaths. Faithful House teaches marriage formation to improve relationships and reduce domestic violence to create a positive family life for all members.
Maternal mortality in the United States is near 18 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the CDC. In Uganda it is closer to 228 deaths per 100,0000 live births. Many of these deaths are due to delays in seeking, reaching and receiving care in rural areas.
If you are interested in learning more about Catholic World Mission’s work you can visit their website. Click here if you would like to financially support this project.
