Women's and children's new ward restores sanity at Alwi Health Centre IV

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Gladys Awekonimungu, a mother of three who had gone to seek maternity services at Alwi Health Centre III for her fourth child, is happy because out of all her deliveries at the facility, this one would be more decent and discreet.

In the past, she had shared the same ward with their male counterparts, which was uncomfortable. 

The administrators reported that the community shunned the facility due to a lack of privacy in the unisex ward.

"For the first three pregnancies, after delivery, I would be told to go to the only ward we had then, and of course, I would go so that I'm monitored before I return home. I'm happy that they have a new ward only designated for women and children. 

MTN Uganda, through their foundation and partners, on Friday commissioned and handed over the new women's and children's ward at Alwi Health Centre III in Pakwach district.

Previously, the facility had only one ward that was accommodating both males and females, including children at the facility.

The beds in the newly constructed ward at Alwi Health Centre III. (Credit: Edna Piyic)

The in-charge Alwi Health Centre III, Hadijah Aliku, said that after the upgrade, the facility is now receiving more than 2,500 patients monthly compared to the 800 patients they were receiving before the construction of a new ward.

She added that besides the construction of the ward, they received 16 beds and mattresses, bedside lockers, oxygen concentrators and refrigerators, among others.

She also explained that to address the water and power challenge, they have two new installed tanks of 20,000 litres.

"Previously, when a mother would come to the health facility for labour, we would ask her to come with a jerrycan of water," she revealed.

She added that MTN last June also provided five desk computers and free Internet to their records registry.



The Vice LC3 Alwi subcounty, James Oyoma, hailed MTN for solving the accommodation problem in the wards. 

He, however, appealed to them and the government to construct staff houses for the health workers so that health workers can ably respond to emergencies. 

He also asked the district to have a resident doctor at the health centre because they have facilities in place. 

The district health officer, Pakwach, Dr Paul Ajal, said in the new structure, they will deploy two doctors at the health facility because the interventions can accommodate them.

The deputy CAO Pakwach Florence Acen said they should advocate for two constituencies in the district because, currently, the government policy cannot allow two health centre IVs in the same constituency. 

He asked mothers to take advantage of the facilities in the health centre and have deliveries there instead of home deliveries. 

The deputy prime minister of Alur Kingdom, Vincent Ochaya, said the 2020 partnership of MTN gave birth to the development of sports, as it was activities leading to the King's coronation. 

He said it also led to the construction of the women's and children's ward at the health facility, which was attributed to the high rates of child and teenage pregnancies in the Kingdom.

He asked the Pakwach district local government to increase the budget for Alwi health centre so that it can manage the operations of the equipment at the facility. 

Dignity to mothers:

Thomas Matlepa, the chief technical information officer at MTN, said that together with Alur Kingdom and other partners, they identified a critical need, which was the construction of a ward that could restore the dignity of women. 

He said the investment is valued at more than sh156 million.

"A critical need was identified in the 2025 21-day yellow care initiative, where it emerged that both men and women, including children, were using one ward due to limited infrastructure”, he said.

He said before the upgrade, the facility had only six beds, but now they have constructed a new ward with 16 beds and mattresses. 

He noted that with the investment, it will significantly strengthen both the capacity and quality of inpatient care at the facility.