MTN Uganda Foundation has donated a patient monitor and computers to St. Mary Health Center III in Kasaala, Luwero District, in a bid to improve maternal and neonatal healthcare services.
Located in Butuntumula Sub-county, the health facility has been grappling with limited diagnostic equipment, especially for monitoring expectant mothers before and after delivery.
Dr. Catherine Nakibuule, the clinical head at the health center, revealed that the facility receives at least 60 expectant mothers for antenatal care and handles about 25 deliveries monthly. However, many of these mothers require close monitoring of their blood pressure, oxygen levels, and pulse rate—services the health center has struggled to provide due to a shortage of equipment.
“We have been having one simple digital machine which is only able to measure pressure and pulse rate. It’s the same machine we use to move from one mother to another, including those in critical condition. You realize that those needing continuous monitoring were missing out because we had to share one device,”
Dr. Nakibuule said.
Through its “21 Days of Y’ello Care” campaign, MTN Uganda Foundation on Thursday donated a smart patient monitor and a computer set to support the facility’s maternal services.
While handing over the equipment, Richard Yego, the Managing Director of MTN Mobile Money Uganda, said the donation aims to create meaningful impact and bridge gaps in service delivery.
“At St. Mary’s Health Centre, Kasaala, we have renovated key infrastructure and handed over computers and a smart infant monitor to support improved maternal and neonatal care. We believe that healthy communities are the foundation for productive economies,”
Yego said.
Dr. Nakibuule welcomed the support, noting that it will help reduce cases of undetected high blood pressure that often lead to fatal complications during childbirth.
In the 2023/24 financial year alone, Luwero District recorded 14 maternal deaths and 43 neonatal deaths—many linked to preventable causes and lack of basic monitoring tools.
In a related initiative, MTN Uganda Foundation also donated eight internet-connected computers to St. Andrew Kaggwa Secondary School to support digital learning.
Mary Nabacwa Mubiru, the school’s headteacher, said that although the school already had 20 computers, they were insufficient for the 1,889 students enrolled.
“The additional eight computers will help reduce the burden, but we still need more to make a bigger impact,”
she said.