As part of their annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has donated various medical equipment to Kawempe National Referral Hospital in support of the government’s efforts to improve maternal health and child care services.
The donation was made in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Three (SDG-3) to accelerate the decline of maternal mortality by 2030. Kawempe Hospital presently receives over 4,000 pregnant women from all over the country and delivers an average of 60 babies per day, the highest in the country.
Items donated included digital ultrasound machines, baby scales, weighting scales, boxes of glucometer strips as well cartons of ultrasound gel which are all necessary items for safe delivery and child care. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, the Registrar General handed over the donation on behalf of URSB.
“We believe it is every mother’s right to access good medical services as she goes through one of the best experiences life has to offer – bringing life into this world. From our assessment, we realized that service delivery at the hospital has been affected by inadequate medical equipment; the patient to medical equipment ratio in the Maternal and Child health is low, resulting in long queues and untimely service. In this regard, supplementing the existing equipment will improve service delivery by significantly reducing the amount of time spent in queues, and improving the patient ratios to accessibility of medical equipment in the Maternal and Child health Unit” She said.
Dr. Emmanuel Byaruhanga, the Executive Director of Kawempe Hospital said, some of the leading causes of maternal deaths in Uganda are hemorrhage, high blood pressure and infections that are largely preventable if detected early enough, with the right equipment.
“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,” Dr. Byaruhanga said.
According to the World Health Organization, while motherhood is considered a fulfilling natural experience, a high percentage of women face several challenges that cause them to suffer and in some cases, to die. The maternal mortality rate in Uganda remains relatively high at 336 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a 2020 UNICEF report.
The latest donation from URSB is in addition to the health and sanitation facility constructed for the over 900 pupils of Oleni Primary School in Arua District last year. URSB had also previously donated wheel chairs to physically handicapped pupils of Gulu Primary School in Gulu District.
