“All this would not be possible if it wasn’t for your cooperation”, minister Kawooya to RHITES-N, Lango

By Voice of Lango Editorial (editor@vol.co.ug)

Otuke

State minister for health in charge general duties Anifa Kawooya has hailed North Rhites Lango for its contributions towards improvement of health services in Uganda.

Speaking at Orum Health Center IV at the closure of operations of Rhites North Lango activities, minister Kawooya said all the equipment installed by Rhites North Lango in government health facilities will be taken over by government and well taken care of.

USAID Rhites North Lango on Wednesday ended their project in Lango with a handover of a theatre and maternity ward worth 800 million shillings at Dokolo HCIV, Dokolo District, Orum HCIV in Otuke District and Ogur HCIV  in Lira District.

Dr. Pamela Donggo the deputy chief of party- USAID North RITES Lango said their five year project was aimed at improving child and maternal health as well as strengthening the fight against HIV&AIDS, Tuberculosis.

During their operations, they recorded more than 40 women along with 300 newborns die in Lango sub region in labor annually which was blamed on inability to access adequate quality obstetric and newborn care.

Statements from the mission director USAID, Richard Nelson reads that following the above challenge, mothers and their babies had to be referred to Lira, almost 70 kilometers to receive medical attention.

Nelson believes with the new health facilities, referring mothers and newborns to Lira Regional Referral will be minimized, however, he said, of the 6,000 maternity admissions per year at the same facility, about 1,300 of them are referred from surrounding districts.

Lira District Health Officer who also heads all DHO’s in Lango said due to coordination with USAID Rhites North Lango, HIV burden in Lango had drastically reduced.

Otuke District chairman Francis Abola called for upgrade of all health HCIII’s in Lango to HCIV status to improve health service delivery.