BoU gives Kyanamukkaka health centre iv facelift

Bank of Uganda through its Corporate Social Responsibility has renovated the Kyanamukkaka Health Centre IV Maternity Ward and provided the facility with incubators for neonatal care.
The refurbished facility was handed over by the deputy Governor, Dr Michael Atingi-Ego and witnessed by former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and Bukoto Central legislator Mr Richard Ssebamala on Friday.
According to Dr Atingi –Ego, the Central Bank prioritised maternal and child health after a thorough study of the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey for 2016 (conducted every five years), which revealed that the maternity mortality ratio up to 6 weeks post-delivery, where the cause of death is directly or indirectly related to pregnancy was 336 deaths per 100,000 live births against a national target of 131 deaths per 100,000 live births.

He added that Uganda’s neonatal mortality rate (newborn babies in their first 28 days) was 27 deaths per 1,000 live births against a target of reducing the deaths to below 20 per 1,000 live births by 2015.
 The infant mortality rate (children who die before their first birthday) was 43 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016 versus a target of 41 deaths by 1,000 live births by 2015.

“The national performance on the targets for both maternal and child health can be improved by the provision of extra care to the mothers during pregnancy and delivery as well as to the at-risk children and the first level of improving the much needed maternal and child care, especially newborn care and it’s against the above background that Bank of Uganda prioritised Kyanamukkaka Health Centre IV for improvement,” he said.
Ms Susan W. Kanyemibwa, the Bou secretary said renovating Kyanamukkaka Health Centre IV was one of the ways the Bank of Uganda honoured its commitment to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality in Uganda.
“There are health centres in the districts of  Mbarara, Mbale, Gulu, Rubanda,  and Kabarole   that have also been refurbished by BoU  and in other districts like Kabale and Jinja the renovation is underway,”  she said.

She said works at Kyanamukkaka Health Centre IV involved renovation of the laboratory, painting of the maternity ward and provision of a water harvest system.
The central bank also provided some medical equipment including; pediatric mattresses with PVC 12, pediatric beds with castors & drip stand 12, adult mattress with PVC 12, adult patient bed with back rest and castors &drip stand, one ultrasound scan machine, one infant warmer, three delivery Instrument set, caesarean set, resuscitation Ambu bag for adults, centrifuge, ultrasound gel 5L, portable drip stand.

Others included; one  oxygen concentrator, one  evacuation set (dilation and curettage),  two baby resuscitation kits, three ward screen 4 panel,  two medicine trolleys,  two infant weighing scale with height board,  three lockable metallic medicine cabinet,  two sterilizer drums (big), BP machine with battery chargers and rechargeable batteries.
Dr Robert Katungi, the officer in-charge of Kyanamukkaka Health IV, lauded BoU for the support and giving hope to both health workers and patients at the facility.
“ What Bank of Uganda has done should be emulated by other corporate companies not only in the health sector, but in all other services that people need,” he said
He revealed that Kyanamukkaka Health Centre IV has 38 health workers serving a population of 20,000 people.

“This is a big burden and I appeal to the government to recruit more staff to serve the growing population,”
 Mr Ssekandi applauded BoU for the gesture and asked the hospital administration to put the equipment to good use.
“We appreciate the big heart of the Bank of Uganda, most importantly of all places to choose Kyanamukkaka, but I want to ask the health centre administration to jealously equip the renovated structures clean and protect the equipment,” he said