New maternity ward to reduce maternal deaths in Kabarole

Expectant mothers in Kabarole District are relieved after the commissioning of a Shs155 million maternity ward at Ruteete Health Centre III in Ruteete Sub County on Friday.

The new maternity ward comes at a time when the district is struggling to address the problem of stillbirths and other related problems in the health facilities.

The acting Kabarole District Health Officer, Mr Brian Kisembo, said in 2021 the district registered 264 cases of mothers giving birth to babies below 2.5 kilograms and 57 cases of fresh stillbirth in health facilities.

“It’s unfortunate that as a district we are having a problem of still fresh birth and mothers giving babies to low birth weight and this is largely caused by malnutrition among mothers and we hope with new maternity ward our mothers will be coming here for antenatal care services,” he said.

According to nutritionists, children whose weight at birth is less than 2.5 kilograms have a higher risk of early death and it stems from poor maternal nutrition and dietary lifestyles of a mother and it is hard for a child born with low weight to avoid being malnourished.

The In charge of Ruteete Health center III, Dr Tom Mugisa, said: “Many mothers who have been coming here have been complaining of lack of space to deliver because this facility serves a population of over 25,800 people.”

He added that at least 24 mothers have been giving birth at the facility daily, and he is optimistic that with the new facility and its equipment in place, more mothers will be delivered from the facility.

The new maternity ward was refurbished by the Bank of Uganda and equipped with delivery beds, mattresses, a solar system, laboratory equipment among others.

The Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda Dr Michael Atingi-Ego, said their partnership with Kabarole District to revamp and equip the health facility addressed the issue of maternal and child mortality in the Rwenzori region going forward.

“The Rwenzori region hosts a Bank of Uganda facility in Fort Portal City, and you might be aware that this region is classified among the places with the high maternal mortality rate in Uganda. That is how we came to work with the leadership of Kabarole District to rehabilitate and equip Ruteete Health Centre III,” he said.

The Kabarole district chairman, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, said they allocated Shs312 million to Ruteete Health facility to be upgraded to health center IV and they will construct a theater and other infrastructures.