Opeta Health Centre III brings services closer to the community
By Flavia Lanyero
“I was unconscious by the time my baby was born. I had been in labour for a very long time and both I and the baby were tired,” narrates 31 year old Molly Ajong.
It was the first time she was delivering at Opeta Health Centre III since it was upgraded to that status four months ago.
“The nurses attended to me very well, we were four in labour and we each had a nurse attending to us, my baby was well taken care of and even immunised, I am happy with the health centre,” Ajong says.
All Ajong’s other six children were delivered in Aboke Health Centre III which is 8km away. According to Ajong, it was a tedious journey to walk to Aboke both for herself and her children and Opeta Health Centre III came as a savior.
“I bring all my children here at Opeta Health Centre III for cough, malaria, stomach pain and even immunisation. My children are now very healthy and never miss school as they are able to get treatment on time,” Ajong says.
As a young district that suffered war less than 10 years ago, Kole district, where Opeta is located, still grapples with social economic challenges like rampant child illness, illiteracy as well as unemployment.
In Opeta village particularly, the area only had a Health centre II, the lowest level of hospital that would not handle any serious illness neither would deliveries take place there.
Following interventions by World Vision Uganda, Opeta Health Centre II was upgraded to Health Centre III level in January 2015 through its Health systems strengthening project for improved livelihoods. The transformation saw a new maternity wing constructed and fully equipped with delivery and hospital beds, a functioning laboratory, electricity among other infrastructure in addition to recruiting more staff.
Health systems strengthening project is a two year project coming to an end in six months. The goal is to improve the well-being of children and mothers in Aboke Sub County in Kole district in Uganda.
Brian Atuhaire, the Health Programme Officer in Oyam/Kole district says that since the health centre was upgraded, demand for services has increased which means that more people in the community are now being served. He, however, says that the health centre further needs to be expanded to cater for specialised services like nutrition and breastfeeding.
“There has been a high level of stunted growth in the community. We want this health centre to be a point of reference to seek better nutrition and breastfeeding services in addition to what it is already providing,” Mr Atuhaire said.
The LC V Kole district Peter Onen said that he was pleased with World Vision's work and requested that the services be extened to other sub counties as well.