The Ministry of Health plans to extend neonatal specialized services to Health Centre IVs at the district level over the next five years.

This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, during celebrations marking World Premature Day at Mulago Women and Neonatal Specialized Services.

She explained that the initiative aims to raise public awareness about premature birth and neonatal care.

Dr. Atwine stated that the ministry plans to equip these facilities with incubators, train nurses on their use, and provide specialized care for premature babies.

She emphasized that even children born at six months can survive with proper medical guidance and appealed to mothers not to lose hope in such situations.

Currently, neonatal intensive care services are largely concentrated at referral hospitals, but the planned expansion will bring these services closer to local communities.

The Executive Director of Mulago Women and Neonatal Specialized Services, Dr. Sam Ononge, noted that approximately 226,000 children are born prematurely each year, highlighting the importance of raising public awareness.

He also pointed out challenges faced by the hospital, including limited staff, where one nurse often attends to 10–12 patients instead of the ideal one-on-one care.

Dr. Ononge called for increased funding from the Ministry of Health to support research and equip nurses with enhanced skills to better care for premature infants.

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