Seven public health facilities across Uganda are set to receive neonatal care equipment worth Shs 887.3 million to strengthen the treatment of sick, premature and low-birth-weight newborns.
Bulamu Healthcare International, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and district local governments, has flagged off the equipment for deployment to the facilities.
Dr Margaret Nakakeeto, a neonatologist and board member of Bulamu Healthcare International, said lack of basic equipment has contributed to deaths of newborns who require immediate breathing support.
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"The biggest problem is that the babies come out and they cannot breathe, and then we didn't have the equipment to make them breathe," Nakakeeto said.
She said critically ill newborns also face the risk of dying while being transferred from health facilities without adequate neonatal services to regional referral or specialised hospitals.
"If the baby comes to believe that they will have to travel 90 kilometres from the health centre to maybe a regional hospital, that baby will not live there, and many of them are dying on the way," she said.
The equipment will support Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Pallisa Hospital, Kibuku Health Centre IV, Butebo Health Centre IV, Atiak Health Centre IV, Kibito Health Centre IV and Otwee Health Centre III in Amuru District.
The equipment is part of a wider Shs 1.087 billion investment by Bulamu in neonatal care, covering equipment, refurbishment of neonatal spaces and training of health workers.
The investment is intended to strengthen the facilities' capacity to stabilise and manage sick and small newborns, care for premature and low-birth-weight babies, provide Kangaroo Mother Care and appropriately refer babies requiring higher-level care.
At Otwee Health Centre III, the intervention includes the establishment of a Kangaroo Mother Care unit.
Bulamu said geographical access remains a major barrier to neonatal care in underserved communities. Otwee Health Centre III, for example, is more than 80 kilometres from the nearest neonatal service delivery point, according to the organisation.
Following the latest intervention, Bulamu says it will have established or refurbished 20 neonatal care units and one Kangaroo Mother Care unit at Otwee.
The organisation said the investment goes beyond supplying equipment, with facility assessments identifying gaps in infrastructure, equipment and health-worker skills.
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About Shs 200 million of the total investment is being used for refurbishment of neonatal spaces and health-worker training.
The equipment specifications and procurement were undertaken with technical guidance from Ministry of Health technical and engineering teams to align with national standards and the level of care required at each facility.
Bulamu said the neonatal units and equipment will remain under the ownership of the Ministry of Health and district local governments, with a focus on long-term sustainability.
Bulamu Healthcare International, founded in 2016, currently works with more than 400 public health facilities across 29 districts in Uganda.
Since 2021, the organisation has implemented a district-wide maternal health programme that includes health-worker training, equipment, neonatal care units, emergency transport and other interventions aimed at improving maternal and newborn care.
