Amai Hospital gets new maternity ward

The Japanese Ambassador to Uganda, Kazuaki Kameda (pictured) has commissioned a maternity ward at Amai Community Hospital in Amolatar district funded by his government to the tune of US$ 83,603 (about sh290m).

The project was part of Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) which has for the last 25 years supported 215 projects in Uganda.

This grant contract was awarded in December 2011 and signed between the Embassy of Japan and Amai Community Hospital.

The maternity ward and medical equipment provided will improve maternity services to benefit over 1,800 pregnant women and nursing mothers annually.

In his remarks, Kameda said there were delays in completion of the project because of the exchange rate.

Now that it is done, he hopes the facility will benefit the people in the community for a long time.

"I hope the new maternity ward will be utilized in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the vulnerable people in the community for many years to come."

Since it was commissioned in 1997, Amai Hospital has provided overstretched maternity services to the people of Amolatar and surrounding districts.

Dr. Agnes Apea, chairperson of the project committee, said she decided to seek grants for construction of maternity and labour ward to improve health service.

She said facility has new beds, space to house the maternity, gynecology, obstetric, and the pediatrics/neonatal wards which has greatly improved the quality and diversity of health care services to the people.

Meanwhile, the current operating theatre is overburdened because many mothers need Caesarian Section for obstructed labour, and at the time they carry out surgery in non-obstetric cases.

"The operating room is small with a single operating bed and limited equipment which cannot cope with the increased surgical need," said Apea.

A lot of equipment have become too old, she added, and there is no ambulance to transfer patients.

Prof. Washington Ayuko, the chairperson Board of Trustees of the hospital who is based in the US, in a message read on his behalf, said his dream had come to its fullest culmination after years of hard work, determination, perseverance and focus on achieving the noble goal of serving the people.

On his part, Amolatar RDC Richard Ogwang Odyero commended the Japanese government for the cooperation with Uganda and for extending a hand to the district. He said the transparency in completing the project gives more energy to the embassy to extend more projects.

 The district chairperson Simon Ongom requested the ambassador to help Amolatar twin with a district in Japan.

Amai Community Hospital is located at the shore of Lake Kwania in Aputi sub-county.

It is the only district referral hospital in the district and until now also the only hospital in the district providing maternal services but without a maternity ward.