Heart institute gets equipment

Sep 05, 2006

THE Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) has received investigative monitors, infusion pumps and other equipment worth millions of shillings from MTN Uganda, Kenya Airways and Nile Breweries.

By Halima Shaban

THE Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) has received investigative monitors, infusion pumps and other equipment worth millions of shillings from MTN Uganda, Kenya Airways and Nile Breweries.

The monitors, supplied by Mednet Health Care Limited, the agents of General Electric Corporation, were acquired from funds raised at last year’s Heart Benefit concert sponsored by the three companies in which sh34m was raised.

While receiving the equipment at the institute in Mulago on Thursday, the chairperson of the UHI, Robert Ssebunya, called upon the general public, especially the corporate bodies, to emulate the three companies. He said the monitors observe the patients’ lives.

The nurse can monitor the patient from the nurses’ room without going to the patient’s room and treatment can be administered automatically through the infusion tube on the monitors.

He said the institute is unable to handle some heart complication due to lack of the necessary equipment despite having highly qualified staff.

Ssebunya said funds raised during the upcoming heart week would help in acquiring all the necessary equipment to handle heart operations locally by the year 2010.

The focus for this year’s fundraising drive is to acquire Blood Gas Analysers valued at $36,000 (about sh67m).

“Blood Gas analysers are the cornerstone of the intensive care unit of any modern hospital because they monitor a patient’s body chemical processes necessary for his or her survival,” the deputy director, UHI, Omagino said.

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