Bank of Uganda Renovates Ayago HCIII in a move to improve maternal and Child Healthcare in Lira City

LIRA, UGANDA: Bank Of Uganda (BoU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health on Wednesday officially handed over the renovated Ayago Health Centre Three to the community of Lira City.

The facility renovated at a total cost of 430 million shillings was handed over to the community by the Bank in ceremony officiated by the minister of health Dr. Jane Aceng Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero who also doubles as the Woman MP of Lira City.

According to the BoU officials who spoke at the function, the renovation of the facility is to improving the maternal and child health care in Lira City-jut like it had been done in other areas across the country.

Renovated incude the Out Patient Department, Administration block, Maternity Ward. The BoU also supplied assorted medical equipment to the facility.

Susan Kanyemibwa, the Bank Secretary and the head of the Corporate Social Responsibility at BoU, said as they believe that health communities are the foundation of a stable and a prosperous nation and that a productive economy cannot be built in the absence of good health especially maternal and child health, the reason the came up with the initiative.

She reported that, in 2016, when the bank was commemorating 5o years of service in the country, under the Theme of ‘’maternal and Child health for a healthy society’’, the bank mobilized well-wishers and even staff through Bank of Uganda at 50 charity walk, from where they raise funds and supported 13 health facilities across the country.

Dr. Bernard Otucu, the City Medical Officer of Lira City, applauded the BoU saying the facelift is a significant contribution to the improvement of the health service delivery and especially maternal and child health to the community served at Ayago Health Centre.

He said the maternity ward they have in place is extremely small and is congested, requesting the stakeholders, ministry of Health, Bank of Uganda as well as other partners to support the city to be enabled to put up the standard health ciii block for the facility.

BoU Governor, Dr.Atingi-Ego Michael urged the community to take care of the facility, preserve and maintain it because their children and grandchildren will also need the similar facility.

Dr. Atingi-Ego called upon the leaders of Lira City to maint the facility well, resourced and ensure it has the necessary equipment and above all resource it with the proper medical personnel so that the core value of the facility is realised. 

Minister of Health Dr. Aceng appreciated the BoU for supporting the renovation of the Health Centres in the country saying that the 13 health centres which the Bank face-lifted have enabled reduce the maternal mortality in the country.

‘’We are now at 189 per 100.000 live births and our target is to bring it down to 70 per 100.000 live births. So we are still requesting that theme continues for a while so that you give us more HCIIIs that are functional and operational’’

She pledged the Ministry of Health’s adherence to the Bank’s vision and the message of using electronic money transactions in the entire health sector so that more money can be saved for investment in the health infrastructure, equipment and ambulances.

Dr. Aceng urged all the health workers to go electronic, urging the Bank to educate the health workers so that they are more versatile with their phones with figures and also the transactions because they get challenges in the markets.