Rotary District 9213, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, today officially flagged off the distribution of life-saving maternal and new-born care equipment under the Empowering Families, Growing Futures programme, a Rotary Foundation Global Grant (GG2579290) aimed at strengthening maternal and new-born health services across Uganda.
The day began with a courtesy visit by Rotary District Governor Gerald Obai, Programme Team Lead PDG John Magezi, and members of the programme team to the Ministry of Health. They were received by the Commissioner for Maternal and Child Health, Dr. Richard Mugahi, who later led the delegation to meet the Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Hon. Dr. Charles Ayume, ahead of the official ceremony.
The flag-off event brought together officials from the Ministry of Health, Rotary leaders, implementing partners, members of the media and programme stakeholders to mark another important milestone in the implementation of the project.
Opening the ceremony, Programme Manager Dr. Richard Kalungi welcomed guests and outlined the purpose of the event before inviting Ministry of Health officials to address participants.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, Commissioner Dr. Richard Mugahi acknowledged Rotary's long-standing contribution to maternal, reproductive and child health in Uganda. He expressed appreciation for the continued partnership and welcomed the equipment as an important investment in improving service delivery at beneficiary health facilities.
Programme Team Lead PDG John Magezi shared Rotary's commitment to ensuring that no woman loses her life while giving life. He reflected on the journey of the project, emphasizing that every piece of equipment being delivered represents an investment in safer pregnancies, safer deliveries and healthier new-borns.
District Governor Gerald Obai highlighted Rotary's commitment to serving communities through its Areas of Focus, noting that the programme advances several of them, including Maternal and Child Health, Disease Prevention and Treatment, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. He also reflected on the programme's journey from earlier submissions under The Rotary Foundation's Program of Scale initiative to the successful Global Grant that is now being implemented, reaffirming Rotary's commitment to mobilising additional resources to expand maternal and new-born health interventions.
In his keynote remarks, Hon. Dr. Charles Ayume, Minister of State for Primary Health Care, commended Rotary for its continued partnership with Government in strengthening Uganda's health system. He noted that development partners such as Rotary complement government efforts by responding to priority needs while helping accelerate improvements in healthcare delivery.
The Minister also recognised the progress Uganda has made in reducing maternal mortality over the years and paid tribute to previous Ministry leadership, including former Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, for their contribution to these achievements. He urged health facilities to ensure the equipment is properly inventoried, maintained and utilised for its intended purpose so that mothers and new-borns fully benefit from the investment.
Following the remarks, the Minister, accompanied by Ministry officials and Rotary leadership, officially received the equipment through a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony before touring the display. Biomedical engineers from NICOSAM Healthcare demonstrated the functionality of the equipment and explained how each item will support improved maternal and new-born care services at health facilities.
The event concluded with the Minister officially flagging off the first truck carrying equipment to beneficiary facilities, signalling the start of distribution across the project districts.
The equipment being delivered includes baby cots, kangaroo mother care (KMC) chairs, radiant warmers, pulse oximeters, Warm Embrace infant warmers, new-born resuscitation kits, digital thermometers, Bubble CPAP machines, phototherapy machines, delivery beds, patient monitors and Caesarean section instrument sets.
The equipment will be distributed to sixteen beneficiary Health Centre IVs serving fourteen districts: Amolatar, Bugweri, Isingiro, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaliro, Kalungu, Masaka, Mbarara, Mityana, Mpigi, Rubanda, Rukiga, Sheema and Wakiso.
The Empowering Families, Growing Futures programme is a Rotary Foundation Global Grant hosted by Rotary District 9213 and coordinated by Mama Toto Care Uganda. It is implemented by Rotary Clubs of Uganda, working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and technical partners. The programme combines health systems strengthening and community demand generation to improve maternal and new-born health outcomes across Uganda.
Under the health systems strengthening component, NICOSAM Healthcare is responsible for the supply, distribution, installation, commissioning, user training and maintenance of the medical equipment being delivered to beneficiary facilities. The equipment forms part of a broader package of interventions designed to improve the quality of maternal and new-born care across the project sites.
