Govt gets midwife kits for 50 health facilities

HEALTH | MIDWIVES | KITS

KAMPALA - The Government has received a consignment of midwife kits that will be distributed to over 50 health facilities across the country.

The consignment is a donation from Direct Relief, an international organization from the United States.

The donation was received by the permanent secretary Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, who called for the engraving of accessories and an inventory entry to avoid misuse.

Dr Diana Atwine (right) hands over an award certificate to Agirie Lubega for good performance in health service delivery during the launch of the midwife kit project at the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union headquarters in Kampala. (All Photos by Francis Emorut)

Each box of the midwife kit contains accessories namely; safety glasses, tape measure, forceps hemostatic, tray instrument, scissors surgical, resuscitation bag/mask, weighing scale, thermometer and stethoscope among others.

“Use them properly to serve the purpose in which they were given,” Dr Atwine said.

Dr Atwine called upon health workers to embrace quality health service delivery and not be distracted by some politicians who direct health workers on what to do when attending to patients.

The permanent secretary made remarks while meeting the members of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) at their headquarters in Mulago, Kampala.

She commended the Union for lobbying for donations from United States and for not being confrontational when handling health workers’ issues.

The special international advisor of UNMU, Micheal Vitols said each box of midwife kit contains 50 instruments that can be used to deliver 50 babies.

He said some accessories are disposable while others are reusable.

The president of UNMU, Justus Kiplangat appealed to government to rescue the plight of some health facilities which lack incinerators, ambulances and adequate personal protective equipment.

Kiplangat cited Atutur Hospital in Kumi district, Zombo HC IV and Bukwo Health Centre IV which lack ambulances and incinerators respectively.

“The placentas are thrown anywhere in the health facility and this poses more health risks,” Kiplangat said.

During the function, award certificates were given to health institutions and individual health workers for extraordinary performance in service delivery and training nurses and midwives.