Masaka region records 200 premature babies monthly

Generous. Masaka deputy Resident District Commissioner Joseph Ssekasamba (Right), thanks NSSF staff for donating medical equipment to Masaka hospital last weekend. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER KISEKKA

What you need to know:

Unfortunate. Authorities say cases of premature births are on the increase because some mothers refuse to go for antenatal services

MASAKA.

Authorities at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital have revealed that the facility admits more than 200 premature babies every month in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) ,which is too much for the available resources.

Speaking at a function last weekend where the National Social Security Fund (NSSF ) handed over a number of neonatal equipment to the hospital, Mr Eleazer Mugisha, the hospital principal administrator noted that they are overwhelmed by the huge number of babies admitted to the unit. “This unit was designed to cater for only 10 babies, but you find that more than 20 are occupying it,” Mr Mugisha said.

According to the officer in charge of NICU, Sr Gladys Bingi, in addition to limited space, the unit is also facing a challenge of lack of equipment, citing an example of the single oxygen concentrator, which has to run 24 hours throughout the week. “As any other machine, it can get technical problems due to over using it and when it breaks down, we remain helpless yet it is very important in treating and caring for the babies admitted here,” Sr Bingi explained.

She added that the unit handles babies with neonatal sepsis, prematurity, birth asphyxia, jaundice and respiratory distress, all of which are sensitive and can cause infant mortality if the babies are not cared for.

Mr Andrew Nongumya, the Nssf Masaka branch manager together with Ms Barbra Arimi, the head of marketing and communications at NSSF together with other staff handed over equipment worth Shs53.2 million comprising of an oxygen concentrator, electric suction machine, and incubator among others.

“We (NSSF) purchased the equipment after having inquired from hospital authorities for some of their most pressing challenges,” Mr Nongumya said, adding that the equipment will help to reduce the neonatal deaths.

Ms Arimi said in this year’s Customer Connect Week, NSSF looks forward to improve healthcare services in selected health centres across the country as a way of giving back to society.