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Luweero counts on revamped care unit to reduce stillbirths
Some of the equipment in the neonatal intensive care unit commissioned at Luweero Hospital on January 24, 2024. PHOTO/ DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- The new unit, which is equipped with baby warmers, and oxygen concentrators, among others, has the capacity to handle at least 30 babies.
A refurbished neonatal intensive care unit at Luweero Hospital has raised expectations of leaders who are targeting reduction of stillbirths by at least 50 percent.
The new unit, which is equipped with baby warmers, kangaroo chairs, baby coats and oxygen concentrators, among other essential equipment, has the capacity to handle at least 30 babies. At the old facility, five babies shared one bed.
“We are now able to safely manage the emergency process for the newly born without having to congest them on a single bed. The risks that come with the newly born sharing the same bed are many including the likely spread of infections,” Dr Gloria Nakalema, a paediatrician at the facility, said.
The neonatal intensive care unit, valued at Shs200m, was constructed by the Ministry of Health in partnership with ADARA Group.
The facility, according to Dr Stephen Mageera, the medical superintendent of Luweero hospital, will reduce the costs previously incurred when referring children to Kiwoko and Nakaseke hospitals in Nakaseke District, which are 14ks and 25kms away respectively.
“The hospital had only one baby warmer and two adult beds for admission of the newly born children that needed critical care. We essentially have been depending on the services at Kiwoko and Nakaseke hospital, located far from Luweero,” he said at the weekend.
“When ADARA Development Group reached out with the opportunity, we designated enough space to house the neonatal intensive care unit. The unit offers critical care for the newborn and part of the essential services that are offered at a hospital,” he added.
Luweero Hospital handles between 350 and 370 deliveries per month, with an estimated 435 babies receiving neonatal care services at the facility in the past six months, statistics at the facility reveal. The average outpatient turnout is 300 per day.
Ms Madeline Vanghan, the chief executive officer at ADARA Group, says their partnership with the Ministry of Health is to boost health service delivery. She said they plan to establish more neonatal intensive care units at the different hospitals in Uganda.
“We remodelled the facility and fixed new equipment, including baby warmers, oxygen concentrators, and kangaroo chairs, among other equipment. We intend to train the personnel in managing the facilities at the unit for purposes of sustainability,” she said.
Mr Erasto Kibirango, the Luweero District chairperson, says the new facilities are a boost to the health care system and service delivery for the area.
Background
The 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) undertaken by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics revealed a significant reduction in child and infant mortality. The survey conducted after every five years shows that the numbers reduced from 63 per 1,000 live births to 52 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
