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Kamuli Hospital gets oxygen cylinders after NMG stories
Oxygen cylinders being delivered at Kamuli District Hospital on January 3, 2024, following stories by Nation Media Group Uganda (NMG-U) platforms last week. PHOTO/SAM CALEB OPIO
What you need to know:
- The hospital had resorted to oxygen concentrators to sustain the premature babies.
Kamuli District Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has received 100 oxygen cylinders from the Ministry of Health following a story by Monitor and NTV Uganda, both subsidiary media platforms of Nation Media Group (NMG).
Last week, both news outlets reported how Kamuli Hospital’s intensive care unit had run out of oxygen supply, putting the lives of premature incubated babies at risk.
A premature birth means a baby is born too early. A typical pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, but for this case, the birth takes place before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Subsequently, the hospital had resorted to oxygen concentrators to sustain the premature babies, but were in desperate need of a cylinder (oxygen) system so that the oxygen is supplied from a main source to all the incubated babies.
In a telephone interview with Monitor on Wednesday, ministry of health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona commended NMG-U for the “timely coverage”, which he said created awareness and emergency response.
“You people (NMG-U) brought to our attention the emergency situation at the NICU and we duly responded with provision of 100 oxygen cylinders so that lives are saved and this is the work of the Fourth Estate,” he said.
The medical superintendent, Lazarus Butenye, said: “We now realise the power of media in advocacy and influencing because as soon as the stories appeared in DailyMonitor and NTV, the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital director called immediately and contacted Roofings and, with the Ministry of Health, gave us emergency supply of 100 oxygen cylinders.”
Dr Butenye added that the mothers whose babies are incubated at the NICU have nowhere to sleep and can’t sleep in the ICU although they are required to be available to breastfeed and monitor their babies, which is a big challenge.
According to Dr Butenye, the hospital is now ready for the influx of preterm babies given that they are surrounded by districts without hospitals.
“Now that we have specialists in pediatrics, most neighbours refer patients to us and so long as the ministry recognises our work and gives us enough supplies, we are here to serve and save lives,” he reassured.
Hospital in-charge Judith Nabiryo says the facility has admitted 5,400 babies, with 1,343 of them being preterm. Of these (1,343), 1,057 were delivered by caesarian section, 61 with abnormalities and 273 registered as neonatal deaths.
She added: “Unfortunately, we had 451 mothers escape mostly because they had nowhere to sleep; however, the numbers are now rising, so we have challenges of accommodation for the mothers in the NICU, and the Continuous Passage Airway Pressure (CPAP), otherwise this facility has been a blessing.”
