Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents of Namutumba District are counting on the upgrade of Magada and Ivukula health centre IIIs in Bukono and Busiki North constituencies to offer better healthcare services.
The health centres will have a theatre, mortuary, electricity, oxygen therapy and a blood bank.
Mr David Mukisa, the district chairperson, said the upgrade follows reminders from the district leadership and locals to have a health centre IV at the constituency level.
“The district authorities thought it wise that the only way to have better health services is to advocate for health centre IVs because they provide a number of services compared to health centre IIIs,” Mr Mukisa said in an interview on Monday.
He said Nsinze Health Centre IV, which has been serving as the district hospital, has also been upgraded to a district referral hospital.
“As a district, we now have two health centre IVs, four health centre IIIs and a district referral hospital; what we are left with is upgrading health centre IIs to IIIs, which the government is already doing,” he said.
Ms Robinah Nakirya, a resident of Kamudoke Village, Ivukula Town Council in Bukono Constituency, said she is optimistic that the number of children born with abnormalities will reduce.
She said: “We have been getting limited services at Ivukula Health Centre III and expectant mothers have not been guided on proper use of antenatal services and family planning methods, but we thank God for answering our prayers.”
Ms Nakirya said pregnant mothers, who have been walking from Ivukula to Bumanya Health Centre IV in Kaliro District, a distance of about 25 kilometres, to access family planning and blood transfusion services, are going to start receiving services from Ivukula Health Centre IV.
Mr Baliruno Mbatia, a resident from Nabitula Village in Busiki North Constituency, said: “This is what I have been waiting for [to have a health centre IV at constituency level].”
Ms Judith Nabirye, a resident of Mazuba Village in Mazuba Sub-county, said: “Besides benefits that come with elevation to a health centre IV, the staffing level at Magada Health Centre IV is going to improve and there will be a full presence of midwives which will reduce the number of expectant mothers giving birth at the hands of Traditional Birth Attendants.”
Mr Joseph Mukisa, a resident of Ivukula Central Ward Zone in Ivukula Town Council, said the health centre III also had inadequate drugs.
The District Health Officer, Dr Kirya James, said by law, every constituency must have a health centre II and III, but having a health centre IV means improved services.
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