By Waswa Tenywa
Korean International Cooperation Agency through the World Health Organization have today handed over a donation of medical equipment worth US$257,000 to the ministry of health in a bide to strengthen Maternal and Child Health care services in the districts of Iganga and Kamuli.
The equipment handed over to the ministry of health officials led by the ministry’s permanent secretary Dr.Diana Atwine included the Adult Ambubag, 80 Normal Delivery Beds, 20 Pediatric hospital beds, 4 Adult Hospital bed, 4 Neonatal incubators, 14 pulse oxymeters,82 pediatric hospital mattresses, 34 Examination Bed with back rests, 40 mercury blood pressure machines, 128 4-tier patient screens, 76 medicine trolleys which were immediately dispatched to the two districts of Iganga and Kamuli.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at the world health organization offices in kamwokya a Kampala suburb, Dr. Atwine the ministry of health permanent secretary thanked the KOICA officials for the donation and promised to help the health centres in taking care of the items.
According to the PS, the donation will help over 296,000 people in Iganga and 129,000 people in Kamuli who were congesting the general health centres of Mbale and Jinja warning the medics that misusing the equipment will lead them into troubles.
Dr. Atwine promised to personally follow the equipment in the two districts to observe how they are being used to avoid using the equipment to keep books and some being taken home by some igocetric persons.
‘’Don’t allow the donated equipment to gather dust and please keep them like yours because we shall come to observe the way you keep them and penalize you for misusing them’’,said Dr. Atwine.
The World Health Organization representative in Uganda Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam revealed that over 6000 women and 45000 newborns die annually in Uganda due to issues related to pregnancy which has instilled fear into the nationals hindering even women from going to the hospitals to deliver.
Dr. Yonas said according to uganda’s demographic and health survey for 2016, Busoga region in which the 2 districts of Iganga and Kamuli are located, have poor maternal and child health indicators.
Meanwhile Ruth Namusabi the Assistant Iganga District Health Officer also in charge of maternal and child health said the equipment came in time when they needed them adding that the project will help to improve the standard of health in the region and the number of mothers going for antenatal will increase.
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