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A dozen of Kaabong district leaders, members of the civil society and medics gathered to initiate the renovation and functionality of Kaabong Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. 

Formerly, the proposed room was initially a resting place for expectant mothers in their first stages of labour. 

The unit locally translated as a special care nursery for preterm and full-term infants will cost the Government of Ireland sh245.3m ($66,308). 

The renovation that will lead to full functionality is expected to last 90 days with a planned opening in mid-September 2023. 

The three-month work is being handled by a local Karamoja company, Great Deeds Supply and Construction Limited. 

Issue at hand 

The number of deliveries has had a noticeable drop in the last two years, from 1,033 in 2021 to 852 in 2022 at Kaabong Hospital. The percentage of live births has also dropped from 97.1% in 2021 to 94.6% in 2022.  

However, there was a notable decrease in neonatal deaths from 21.3% in 2021 to 9.6% in 2022 as a result of complications such as neonatal sepsis, prematurity, birth asphyxia and pneumonia among other conditions. 

On the other hand, in spite of the improving trends in care, the neonatal mortality rate remains still unacceptable within the district. 

It’s upon this background, that hospital authorities strongly commended the improvement in renovation and functionality of the neonatal intensive care unit intending to reduce neo-natal mortality at the health facility. 

Medics speak 

Speaking at the groundbreaking event held at the hospital premises, Dr Mathias Badaaza, the Kaabong Hospital project coordinator, said the lack of a stable power source that could run the equipment was a challenge. 

He said the incubators, baby warmers and oxygen concentrators need stable power for at least 72 hours uninterrupted with a stable backup. 

“This will minimise care interruptions,” Badaaza noted, adding that this will reduce infant mortality. 

He further said the inadequate space especially to accommodate mothers including the housing of the power source characterised with silent radioactive emissions that can potentially affect the well-being of neonates was an issue. 

“Lack of a reliable water supply and storage supplies remains a huge challenge,” Badaaza said, adding that constant water will improve patient personal care and also reduce nosocomial infections specifically in the newborn admitted at the neonatal intensive care unit. 

He further added that the lack of essential equipment in some departments at the hospital for extending care or improvement on pregnancy outcomes to reduce challenges to the new-born like antenatal clinic, labour suites, theatre and pediatric wards among others was an issue that required to be addressed. 

Another medic, Dr Don Bosco Lopoi, who works at the same hospital, said it was significant that the neonatal intensive care unit was functional. 

Lopoi said the unit will reduce the mortality, adding that in the last two financial years, at least 60 infants have died due to the non-functionality of the entity. 

“We have had children born with difficulties in breathing and ending up dead,” Lopoi noted. 

Administrators, partners and medics officiate the renovation, and functionality of the neonatal intensive care unit at Kaabong Hospital on Thursday. June 1, 2023. (All photos by Olandason Wanyama)

He applauded Doctors with Africa as well as funders Ireland, for the timely intervention that has seen the groundbreaking of the renovation and functionality of the neonatal intensive care unit. 

The district health educator, Sandros Anyakun, said he was glad to witness an intervention hinged on saving the lives of children in Kaabong district. 

He said the deaths of infants were a huge challenge, adding that in most cases they have had to refer infants to Moroto Regional Referral Hospital located 180 kilometres away. 

“Neonatal deaths have been alarming in the district,” Anyakun noted. 

He appealed to the Government to ensure the provision of well-trained staff to manage the neonatal intensive care unit. 

Doctors with Africa speak 

Dr Lilly Acayo, the programme coordinator for Doctors with Africa who are implementing the health strengthening and improvement system with funding from the Irish Embassy, said the long-awaited milestone underscores the entity's commitment to maternal and fetal health. 

She said the renovation and functionality of the neonatal intensive care unit is another example of expanding the dire children’s health in the country. 

“We are here to ensure children translate into adulthood,” Acayo noted. 

She further said several children were dying along the way to referrals and in the villages, an issue Acayo claimed leaves deaths unreported. 

Acayo urged mothers to care for their newborn babies, saying the infants owe them very much. 

“I would like to ask adolescents to desist from teenage pregnancies,” she said, adding that as partners, the local governments should also take an interest in fighting such issues. 

Acayo asked the hospital and district leadership to own the intervention for proper health services and always be at the forefront to ensure high standards. 

DLG speaks 

The Kaabong deputy chief administrative officer, Nelson Shaineh, hailed the government of Ireland and Doctors with Africa for the timely intervention. 

“This is where implementing partners come to bridge the gaps,” he noted, adding that the involvement will now take us to another level. 

However, Shaineh said all of the district's potential is aimed at enhancing service delivery. 

He added that Kaabong is among the poorest Karamoja districts, hard to reach, and hard to stay and such intervention provides morale to work. 

“We do not want to take the partnership personally,” Shaineh noted. 

He advised development partners to desist from imposing projects on the community, saying challenges arise when sustainability arrives. 

The district vice chairperson, Joseph Mukasa Lokut, said the local government budgets are constrained at all times. 

He appealed to Doctors with Africa to continue building capacity for the medics in the sub-region saying infant mortality remains high in Karamoja. 

However, Lokut asked the contractor to desist from doing shoddy work, saying with such a reasonable fund, quality work is expected. 

Meanwhile, Ireland has extended sh300m for the construction of a drug store in Karenga district. 

The move follows the irregular storage of medicines that saw drugs being kept in the district offices and in Karenga Health Centre IV wards without proper records. 

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, the Karenga district chairperson, Felix Mark Lochale, said his district values the partnership. 

Lochale thanked Doctors with Africa for the great partnership in managing health systems in the Karamoja sub-region. 

“I would also like to thank the Irish Embassy for the great financial support,” Lochale added. 

He, however, encouraged Frenah Construction Company charged with the three-month work to recruit local youths, saying there is too much labour within the district. 

Lochale also encouraged the contractor to ensure the specifications of the building by following the bill of quantities.