The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Mbarara, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital will soon have a newly constructed neonatal intensive care unit to improve treatment for babies who are born early, those with breathing difficulty and those who are born with difficulty.
Construction of the four-storied unit was commissioned on Tuesday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Diana Atwine. The facility 1.9 million Dollar facility is aimed at providing enough space for Neonatal Care.
Dr Atwine however decried the low staffing levels in government health facilities, a problem which contributes to the high neonatal mortality and prenatal deaths. She said the government needs to employ more paediatricians, neonatologists, doctors, and nurses to reduce the burden.
She, however, added that the government is prioritizing the expansion of access to neonatal services.
Dr Atwine observed a need to increase acute care services in the country by training more and deploying more specialists not only in neonatal services but also in acute care.
Dr Elias Kumba Kumba, the head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital is optimistic that the services will improve with the construction of the new facility and deployment of more staff, especially nurses.
Henry Mwebesa, the Director General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health has asked the contractor Geses (U) LTD to utilize the specified time to complete the construction works noting that the money being used to construct the facility is a grant that will be returned to the treasury by December this year.
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital Department of Pediatrics admits over 3000 babies every year and the majority of those are born within while the other half are referrals.
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