How small space is transforming life for mothers, newborns
“We practice family-centred newborn care,” Dr. Albert Kamugisha explains.“When mothers are close, comfortable, and involved, it improves how we manage these babies.”
(L-R) Members of the Rotary Club of Muyenga (Kikubamutwe Buddy Group), David Balaka, Felix Osike who is also Vision Group deputy Editor in Chief, Mathew Makumbi Lule, Jane Kabbale and Dr. Albert Kamugisha, the China Uganda Friendship (Naguru) Regional Referral Hospital’s Head of Paediatrics. This was during the handover of a newly refurbished space occupied by mothers with babies admitted to the neonatal unit, created through a partnership with the Rotary Club. (Credit: Ponsiano Nsimbi)
KAMPALA - For weeks after giving birth, Miriam Ndyaguma, who resides in Luzira, had no place to rest at China-Uganda Friendship Hospital in Naguru.
Her newborn lay in the neonatal unit, fighting for survival. But like many mothers before her, Ndyaguma’s own struggle was just outside the ward, sleeping on benches, waiting in a tent, and constantly worrying she might miss the moment her baby needed her most.
“That situation was very hard,” she recalls. “There was no space, and the hospital was congested.”
Today, that story is beginning to change.
A small but thoughtful intervention has created a dedicated resting space for mothers just steps away from their babies, turning what was once a corridor into a secure, sheltered area where women can sleep, keep their belongings, and respond quickly when called upon.
For Dr. Albert Kamugisha, Head of Paediatrics at the hospital, the shift is more than physical.
“We practice family-centred newborn care,” he explains.“When mothers are close, comfortable, and involved, it improves how we manage these babies.”
The numbers tell a story of urgency because the hospital admits about 250 children every month, nearly half of them newborns, many premature, sick, or referred from other facilities.
At any given time, 15 to 20 babies fill the neonatal unit, each requiring constant attention.
Yet the hospital itself is stretched beyond its limits, handling about 150 admitted patients daily despite a capacity of just 100.
It was this gap that drew in the Rotary Club of Muyenga (Kikubamutwe Buddy Group), whose members raised about $1,000 to improve the mothers’ space.
“We saw mothers sitting far away in tents, yet they are essential in feeding and caring for their babies,” says Rotarian David Balaka. “So we brought them closer.”
The impact was immediate. Mothers now rest within reach of the ward. Doctors no longer have to search for them. And for such women, the change restores a sense of dignity at a vulnerable time.
“Now we can rest,” Ndyaguma says with a smile. “And when the doctors need us, they know where to find us.”
For a hospital under pressure, it is a small fix with a powerful ripple effect, proving that sometimes, improving care begins not with machines, but with a place for a mother to lie down.