The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has donated various medical equipment to Kawempe National Referral Hospital as part of its yearly corporate social responsibility (CSR) program to aid the government’s initiatives to enhance maternal health and child care services.
The donation was given in accordance with SDG-3 of the United Nations, which calls for a faster drop in maternal mortality by 2030.
Currently, approximately 4,000 pregnant women from all across the nation are admitted to Kawempe Hospital, which also has the highest deliveries in the nation at an average of 60 infants each day.
Donated supplies for safe childbirth and infant care included digital ultrasound equipment, baby scales, weighted scales, boxes of glucometer strips, and cartons of ultrasound gel.
The donation was presented by Mercy K. Kainobwisho, Registrar General, on behalf of URSB.
“We think every mother has a right to appropriate medical care as she experiences one of life’s greatest joys: delivering a child into the world.
Our assessment revealed that the hospital’s service delivery has been impacted by insufficient medical equipment; the low patient-to-medical equipment ratio in the maternal and child health department causes long lines and delayed service.
In this regard, upgrading the current equipment will enhance service delivery by drastically cutting down on wait times and increasing patient access to medical equipment in the Maternal and Child Health Unit, ” she said.
Haemorrhage, high blood pressure, and infections are some of the major causes of maternal fatalities in Uganda, according to Dr. Emmanuel Byaruhanga, Executive Director of Kawempe Hospital.
These conditions are mostly preventable if identified early enough and with the appropriate tools.
“I want to thank our friends and partners from URSB for this contribution, which will go a long way in supporting us to deliver healthy babies and ensure safe delivery for our mothers at Kawempe Referral Hospital, especially at this critical time when infant mortality rates are on the rise,” said Dr. Byaruhanga.
The World Health Organization reports that although becoming a mother is seen as a rewarding and natural event, many women encounter a number of difficulties that lead to pain and, in some cases, death.
A 2020 UNICEF report states that Uganda’s maternal mortality rate is still rather high, at 336 deaths for every 100,000 live births.
In addition to the health and sanitation facility built for the nearly 900 students of Oleni Primary School in Arua District last year, the most recent donation from URSB.
Additionally, URSB had previously given wheelchairs to physically challenged students at Gulu Primary School in the Gulu District.