By Paul Adude — Originally published in Daily Monitor, November 2025

Expectant mothers at Kasanje Health Centre III in Wakiso District are set to receive significantly better maternal care following the donation of a portable ultrasound machine and other medical equipment, valued at approximately Shs 62 million (USD 16,700).

The Gap the Donation Fills

Before the donation, the health centre had no scanning equipment, meaning pregnant women with complications often went undetected until it was too late. Staff were forced to refer patients to Entebbe Referral Hospital — a journey made harder by the need to cross by ferry — or to Mpigi Health Centre IV, some 11 kilometres away. Both options placed a heavy burden on mothers, many of whom could not afford private scanning services.

Adam Mbayi, the facility in-charge, noted that the absence of a scanner had long made it difficult to monitor whether pregnancies were progressing safely or whether complications were developing. With the new machine in place, the centre can now carry out those checks on site.

What Was Donated

The equipment package, handed over by the Rotary Club of Kampala East and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, includes the ultrasound machine, a blood counter, foetal dopplers, and proper medical waste disposal facilities. The Church contributed USD 18,000 through its humanitarian aid programme to fund the project after a community outreach assessment identified the critical gaps in maternal and child care at the facility.

Training and Sustainability

The health centre has plans to train two staff members to operate the equipment, ensuring the machines are put to use consistently from Monday to Friday. This practical step is important — donated equipment is only as valuable as the capacity to use it, and the facility’s management is clearly thinking beyond the handover ceremony.

Community Impact

Kasanje Town Council Mayor Jonathan Gayiira highlighted that the benefit will extend across all 37 villages within the town council. Rodney Twagarukaho Bagamba, President of the Rotary Club of Kampala East, said the donation was driven directly by what his club found during community outreach — a facility with barely any equipment yet serving women coming from across the area in search of care.

David Mutesasira, a counsellor with the Church, said the contribution was motivated by the need to reduce prenatal deaths, which remain a persistent challenge across Uganda. For the families of Kasanje, this donation represents something simple but profound: the ability to know, before it is too late, that mother and baby are safe.

Source: New ultrasound brings hope for Wakiso expectant mothers — Daily Monitor