Stanbic Bank Uganda has donated Shs40 million worth of medical equipment and supplies to Obongi Health Centre IV in Obongi District, West Nile sub-region in north-western Uganda, targeting maternal and child healthcare at a referral facility struggling with staffing and resource shortages.
The donation includes 20 hospital beds, 30 mattresses, two patient monitors and 200 maternity kits, known as Mama Kits, to support mothers, newborns and medical personnel.
The facility conducts about 1,388 deliveries annually, including 322 Caesarean sections, according to Dr Tagule Sunday, the Assistant District Health Officer in charge of Maternal and Child Health.
Obongi Health Centre IV serves a population of more than 240,000 people, including communities hosting refugees, placing pressure on its capacity to deliver essential services.
The donation comes as the district grapples with a shortage of health workers, with staffing levels at about 32% of the required establishment, according to Obongi County MP Hassan Kaps Fungaro.
Speaking at the handover ceremony on Wednesday, Mark Ocitti Ongom, chief executive officer of Stanbic Uganda Holdings, said improving healthcare access required collaboration between government, businesses and communities.
“A nation's social progress cannot be the responsibility of government alone. It depends on government providing leadership, the private sector investing responsibly, and citizens and communities playing their part,” Ocitti said.
He said the equipment would help improve conditions for mothers and newborns while supporting health workers at the facility.
Assistant Resident District Commissioner Eva Kwesiga Nalongo welcomed the contribution, urging hospital administrators and staff to ensure the equipment is properly maintained and used.
“We are a vulnerable district and hard to reach, but with support like this from partners like Stanbic, we stand firm that soon this young district will overcome our prevailing challenges,” she said.
The contribution was made under Stanbic Bank's annual October Love Month community outreach programme and forms part of activities marking the bank's 35 years of operations in Uganda.
