BY S KWAGALA: The Kisenyi Health Center IV has received an oxygen manifold system to boost its neonatal care.
During the commissioning of this system , those incharge of the facility said that it would support mothers and new born babies during the delivery process with oxygen.
According to Dr. Violet Birungi, the Head of Health and Nutrition Save the children , health workers the oxygen manifold system is going to ease the works of the health workers who had to lift different cylinders to each baby and keep removing them for replacement.
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She explained that oxygen manifold system compresses all the gas from different cylinders at one point and transmits it to patients through a single pipe for distribution in the ward.
“One child would use up to 3 cylinders so health workers would have to keep carrying those. But now we have connected this plant to the labour suit, neonatal children clinic, the theatre and the ward,” Birungi said.
Kisenyi Health Center IV is big on child delivery as in a month statistics indicate that they deliver over 800 babies.
Donors from Save the Children however urged government on maintenance of the equipment pointing out that a number of times items and projects have been given but broken down in a short time for lack of maintenance.
She asked that KCCA creates a budget for maintaining the oxygen manifold system.
Jesca Nsubgwa Sabiti, the Commissioner for child and maternal health at the Ministry of Health commended the development.
She further revealed that while equipment is being secured , there is more need for expansion of facilities to limit congestion.
“The government has agreed to go ahead and set up division health facilities,” said Nsungwa in line with decongesting.
Over 70 percent of neonatal mortality is due to preterm birth complications, intrapartum related events and sepsis.
In an annual Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response report 2020-2021 showed that Kampala recorded the highest number of perinatal deaths in the country.
Dorothy Kisaka, Executive Director KCCA instructed the equipment is maintained as required.
” Our Directorate public Health and Environment is challenged to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply to the most in need through routine maintenance and to plan for scale up of this oxygen supply to other facilities within the budget frame work.”