By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KABALE:
The Kabale municipality meber of parliament Dr. Nicholas Thadeus Kamara has donated an ultra sound scan machine valued at UShs 12 million to Kamukira Health Centre IV to help expectant mothers reduce on the costs of screening.
The machine was on Wednesday handedover to the hospital management at the Health Centre grounds.
According to the management, the Health Centre has been operating without an ultra sound scan until of recent when government donated to them. But, management said one machine would not accomodate the many numbers of patients seeking for scanning services and shortage of trained personnel to operate the machine.
Dr. Kamara’s donation is according to the management a blessing in disguise and willnhelp in better service delivery.
Before handing over the machine, MP Kamara first paid UShs 5 million to train one of the midwives at the Health Centre on the operationalisation of the machine.
Speaking during the handover function of the machine, MP Kamara said the decision to purchase the machine to the hospital came after realizations that expectant mothers from Kabale municipality were paying UShs 20,000 for scanning services in private clinics while others from as far as other parts within and outside the municipality would trek to Kabale regional referral hospital for similar services.
He noted that the scan machine will enable healthworkers at the hospital carry out diagnosis on expectant mothers fast using digitalized machines than using the traditional Stethoscope which has been the only available means in detecting abnormalities in pregnancies.
According to the hospital in charge, Daniel Tumwesigye, Kamukira HCIV receives over 300 expectant mothers requiring ultra sound scan services per month.
Tumwesigye hailed MP Kamara for his kindness stressing that it will reduce on the number of patients who have been referred to Kabale hodpital as well as improving maternal health in the area.
The chairperson hospital management committee, Peter Nsaba revealed that the hospital has a non-functional theatre which has been in place for the last 10 years appealing to the MP to raise the issue to the concerned authorities in the ministry of health. Nsaba said the theatre lacks among other equipments, trolies.
In response to the requisition, the MP said he had already forwarded the issue to the ministry Permanent Secretary Dr. Dianna Kanzila Atwiine and the issue was being handled accordingly.
Expectant mothers in Kabale district spend over UShs 72 million for screening from private clinics and this donation is expected to help them save some of the money that has been spent on the service.
