Kateregga wins Global Award for preterm advocacy

MUNICH - Kateregga Bazilio, founder of the Preterm Parents Network Uganda, has been honoured with an international award for his commitment to improving maternal and newborn health, particularly in the care and advocacy for preterm babies.

The award was presented at the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants conference, held in Munich, Germany, from 25th to 28th April 2025. 

This is the first time a Ugandan has received such international recognition in the field of neonatal care.

“This award is not just mine,” Kateregga said in an interview with New Vision. “It’s for Uganda, for the thousands of families who have walked this difficult road, and for every health worker who has fought to save our tiniest citizens.”

He added, “It’s Uganda’s first global award in this area, but it came because we have made progress — especially by creating a national preterm birth database. Without data, you can’t track progress or improve care.”

Kateregga’s organisation has been a pioneer in advocating for preterm babies in Uganda, providing crucial support to families and working to strengthen the capacity of healthcare providers.

“In 2024 alone, we screened over 1,000 premature babies. Screening is critical — it helps determine whether a baby on oxygen is safe. If not properly monitored, oxygen can lead to death or long-term complications like blindness,” he explained.

Participants at Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (GLANCE) conference held in Munich, Germany. (Courtesy Photo)

Government and community support

Dr Jesca Nsungwa, Commissioner for Maternal and Child Health at the Ministry of Health, applauded the Preterm Parents Network Uganda for its contribution to neonatal health.

“We have seen their work, and we thank them for collaborating with the Ministry of Health. Their impact is especially evident at Kawempe National Referral Hospital,” Dr Nsungwa noted.

She emphasised the government’s ongoing efforts to decentralise neonatal services and bring them closer to the community. However, she stressed that prevention must remain central.

“We need to prioritise measures that prevent neonatal complications from happening in the first place,” she said.

Sandra Orikiriza, a mother who gave birth to a premature baby in November 2024, shared how Kateregga’s support changed her experience.

“I didn’t understand why I was going into labour early. I rushed to Kawempe Hospital, where I gave birth to a premature baby. Mr Kateregga and his organisation helped me with kangaroo care lessons and showed me how to express breast milk for my baby in NICU,” she said.

Having previously experienced two miscarriages, Orikiriza described the emotional toll of premature birth and the value of finding support.

“This award represents parents like me who’ve faced the pain and fear of having a premature baby but choose to hold on,” she said.

A personal journey turned national mission

Kateregga’s mission is rooted in personal tragedy. Years ago, his wife was pregnant with twins when she suffered a fall at five months. One baby sustained a haematoma and later died. Doctors had to wait until the sixth month to operate and save the other baby.

“The surviving baby was only 800 grams — less than a kilo,” he recalled. “His heart was racing, his limbs like twigs. He looked like a rat. I cried. I broke down. But I had to be strong for my wife.”

From this pain grew a national initiative. “We started with a WhatsApp group, adding doctors, nurses, and parents with preterm experience. Now, we work with referral hospitals, educating mothers at antenatal clinics about the causes of prematurity and how to prevent it.”

Today, the Preterm Parents Network runs multiple programmes: preparing mothers before NICU admission, offering hope through ‘Walls of Hope’, training mothers in lactation, hygiene, and infection prevention, and conducting free screenings for retinopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of blindness in preterm babies.

But caring for premature infants remains financially overwhelming.

“I spent 15 million shillings in just two months at Mulago Women’s and Children’s Hospital — and that’s a semi-government facility. Imagine the cost of a private one,” said Kateregga.

The award Kateregga Bazilio, founder of the Preterm Parents Network Uganda won. (Courtesy Photo)

Uganda’s preterm birth burden

Uganda faces one of the highest burdens of preterm births in sub-Saharan Africa. According to data from Mbarara University, around 14% of live births are preterm — about 230,000 babies annually out of 1.5 million births.

Sadly, 13,000 of these babies die before reaching their fifth birthday due to complications of prematurity.

Each week, the country loses nearly 500 babies — many of whom could have survived with timely, adequate care.

“Most of these deaths are preventable,” Kateregga stressed. “What we lack are well-equipped NICUs, trained health workers, and public awareness. The government must make this a national health priority.”

A hidden dimension of the crisis is the emotional toll on families. “In our experience, about 80% of fathers of preterm babies abandon their partners,” Kateregga revealed.

“That’s why we started the Men Engage campaign — to get fathers involved in kangaroo care and show how important their role is.”

Kangaroo care — a skin-to-skin method of holding preterm babies — has been proven to regulate heartbeats, improve breathing, and promote bonding.

“This isn’t just a mother’s battle. It’s a family commitment. Men must step up emotionally and physically,” Kateregga urged.