Mulago gets equipment worth sh35m

By Juliet Waiswa

Mulago national referral hospital has received equipment worth Sh 35m to manage highly sensitive medications to patients.
 

The equipment handed over to the principal Anesthetist includes infusion pumps. The pumps will help anesthetists to maintain a constant flow of the pain killers to patients throughout surgery.
 

An infusion pump is a medical device used to deliver fluids into a patient’s body in a controlled manner.
 

Infusion pumps may be capable of delivering fluids in large or small amounts, and may be used to deliver nutrients or medications – such as insulin, chemotherapy drugs, and pain relievers.
 

Speaking during a press conference in Kampala, the principal Anesthetist Paul Masereka said, “Such pumps help us to maintain the patient under anesthesia even if the operation is taking long.”
 

He added that, anesthetists will use less gas during the operations and hence hospitals will spend less money on purchasing gases.
 

The infusion pumps were donated by world renowned pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as part of its patient focused initiatives, which aim to ensure that the patient receives the best treatment and care through technical support and skills transfer.
 

The syringe pumps handed over by GSK country manager Nathan Wasolo are high precision equipment used to deliver measured medications and other fluids with high level of accuracy for a given period.
 

GSK has committed to reinvest 20% of its net profits to strengthening the healthcare system in developing countries that it operates in, including Uganda.

In this initiative, GSK is partnering with Amref Health Africa in an e-learning module that up-scale the skills of midwives.
 

In addition, GSK together with the government of Uganda, is fast-tracking a schools deworming programme that will see hundreds of children provided with deworming medication Albendazole which is also effective in elimination of Elephantiasis.