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LOCAL MATERNITY AND NEONATAL SYSTEM BOOST HEALTH SERVICES IN NDORWA WEST, HON DAVID BAHATI’S AMBULANCE SAVING LIVES
By Goodluck Musinguzi
“This is Midwife Vastine from Butanda Health Center III, I have a mother in the labour of 5cm multiple pregnancies, pre-term labour she has no transport to reach Kabale Regional Referral Hospital any assistance with an ambulance you can help me”
This is one of the messages sent to the Kigezi Local Maternity and Neonatal System (KLMNS) hosted by Kabale Regional Referral Hospital. LMNS is the latest innovation by the Ministry of Health that involves local prayers supporting safe motherhood. Dr Gilbert Mateeka District Health Officer Kabale says Butanda HC III has a tricycle ambulance.
Does she have to go to the regional referral hospital? @Dr Fortunate Asiimwe Rubaya HC IV And @~Dr Ndahiro Brian support the midwife to manage appropriately. Thanks. Vastina Midwife Butanda Health Center III replies I talked to Dr fortunate Asiimwe.
The Tricycle has no fuel am with the driver here. He picked the expectant mother from the community which is not accessible by a vehicle. Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale asks @Dr Elias Kambale Emergency Medical Services Kigezi Coordinator Is the EMS ambulance available? Vastina Midwife Butanda Health Center III: Dr Fortunate Asiimwe told me to refer to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital. Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale: What was the guidance?
There is an MP-supported ambulance at Rubaya HC. It is nearer and would save time. @Dr Fortunate Asiimwe Rubaya HC IV Vastina Midwife Butanda Health Center III: To refer to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital because of preterm labour. Dr Fortunate Asiimwe Rubaya HC IV: The MPs Ambulance is actually based at Butanda HC 3….and he usually fuels it. Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale: I am told it is broken down. Dr Fortunate Asiimwe Rubaya HC IV: Only that it has a problem currently. ….may be they engage the political assistant to provide some fuel from total where the MpP pays from. Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale: Best if you can ask him to fuel Rubaya vehicle if it’s available.
The tricycle is slow. Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale: I am told that the MP’s ambulance will take the mother. Dr Geoffrey Bandoga OBs Gyn Coordinator Kigezi Local Maternity and Neonatal System says The ambulance is in Butanda and preparations to bring the mother are underway. Thanks, Dr Gilbert Mateeka Dr Fortunate Asiimwe Rubaya HC IV: This is good. Thanks be to God, the mechanic has sorted the mechanical problem very fast!! Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale: True. Thanks.
This was a situation under control from the start. The mother was brought to Butanda HCIII from a hard-to-reach community by tricycle. The midwife assessed and consulted the HCIV and was guided to refer to a higher level. Butanda HCIII In-Charge was on site and called the MP’s ambulance driver to take the mother by Ambulance. The ambulance has a minor mechanical problem which will be fixed before it goes back to Butanda.
On average, Ndorwa West Ambulance donated by Hon David Bahati, State Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives ( Industry ) and NRM Chairman Kabale district makes on average 20-30 trips per month helping expectant mothers from Butanda Health Center III, Rubaya Health Center IV and Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
Each trip costs shs300,000 to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital and shs200,000 in Ndorwa West Sub-district. Every month the ambulance is serviced and appreciated by the community. This is a life-saving ambulance it has a standby driver and nurse paid by the Hon David Bahati. Speaking on the phone, Hon David Bahati said its an initiative he started in 2015 to promote safe motherhood and reduce the number of mothers who die due to lack of appropriate medical care.
“the initiative is to ensure all mothers give birth attended to by experts both at health centres and Kabale Regional Referral Hospital free of charge. This has helped to improve the functionality of the referral system in Ndorwa West”, said Hon Bahati.
Hon David Bahati further said, No one complains that he has gone to a health centre in Ndorwa West and failed to get means of transport. “It’s costly to maintain a driver and nurse this is the minimum I can do for the people of Ndorwa West. Our terrain is difficult and therefore we have to help especially in the hard-to-reach areas”, Hon Bahati says If resources become available another ambulance will be stationed at Kamuganguzi Health Center.
Dr Fortunate Asiimwe, Rubaya Health Center IV says the Ndorwa West Ambulance is based at Butanda Health Center III, and is managed by the community and Hon Bahati’s representative. “It’s a good initiative as the only ambulance in the sub-district since the pickup provided by the Ministry of Health is grounded. However, we need a strong ambulance because of the terrain”, said Dr Fortunate Asiimwe.
Dr Elias Kambale, Coordinator of Emergency Medical Services in the Kigezi region says we are in touch with various players who support EMS in Kigezi region. We thank Hon David Bahati for providing an ambulance which evacuated a mother who needed services from Butanda Health Center III to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
“We are mapping all the ambulances in the 6 districts that form the Kigezi region. Meanwhile, the recent accidents on the Kabale-Ntungamo highway forced state officers in the region to appeal for more ambulances”, said Dr Kambale
He says they have written to the Ministry of Health to consider Ndorwa West and Rubanda West sub-districts to be considered urgently for new ambulances. The Ministry of Health has requested the names of people to be trained in Emergency Medical Services as a way of improving the capacity of those who will handle the new ambulances and the existing ones.
Ambulance drivers will undergo a refresher course in minimizing infection prevention and safety plus defensive driving. Dr J Filbert Director Kabale RRH thanked Dr Gilbert Mateeka DHO Kabale and team for sorting out that mother with multiple pregnancies, preterm. Great proactivity in our region. The mother was delivered safely under the supervision of experts at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
