KAMPALA Uganda has joined the global community in marking World Prematurity Day 2025, with a strong call for husbands to take an active role in supporting their wives during antenatal visits, an act health officials say strengthens families and improves maternal and newborn outcomes.
The national commemoration was held at the Mulago Specialized Women and Neonatal Hospital (MSWNH) in Old Mulago under the theme “Giving Preterm Babies a Strong Start for a Bright Future.” The event was officiated by Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine, who emphasized the need for men to accompany their partners for antenatal services as a way of preventing complications that can lead to preterm births.
The ceremony brought together mothers of preterm babies, adult survivors of prematurity, policymakers, neonatal health specialists, and nursing students. Dr. Atwine, together with other stakeholders, visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to assess the condition of preterm infants. She commended MSWNH Executive Director Dr. Sam Ononge and his team for their efforts, reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to equipping health facilities nationwide with resources essential for protecting preterm babies.
Dr. Ononge revealed that over 226,000 preterm babies are born in Uganda each year, yet the nurse-to-preterm ratio remains critically low at 1:12, far from the recommended 1:1 standard needed for optimal care. He proposed extending specialized care for preterm infants up to 12 months to ensure healthy development and called on the government for increased funding, equipment, and enhanced professional training for neonatal nurses.
“We care for underprivileged citizens whose mothers face complex medical challenges—from conception complications and IVF-related issues to social factors requiring counselling,” Dr. Ononge said.
During the event, Dr. Atwine distributed hampers to mothers of preterm babies, encouraging them to remain resilient and to share life-saving information with their communities.
Baziriyo Kateregga, President and Founder of the Uganda Preterm Infants Parents Network, noted that his organization has supported more than 5,000 preterm babies through community outreach and counselling. He condemned the tendency of some husbands to abandon mothers of preterm infants, calling it an unacceptable and cowardly act. “These are innocent babies who deserve love, inclusion, and support,” he emphasized.
This year’s commemoration followed a successful fundraising run held on 16 November 2025 by the Uganda Neonatal Nurses Association (UNNA) to raise money for CPAP equipment and polyethylene bags—critical tools in managing respiratory distress and hypothermia in preterm infants.
UNNA Founder and President Judith Atucungwire highlighted that complications from prematurity remain a leading cause of under-five mortality. She stressed that reducing these deaths requires not only advanced medical care but also increased community awareness, capacity building, and adequate neonatal equipment.
UNNA, a professional body for nurses and midwives working in NICUs across Uganda, continues to drive improvements in neonatal care through training, advocacy, research, and mobilizing resources for life-saving equipment such as CPAP machines and Neohelp polyethylene bags.
The Association also supports capacity-building initiatives in neonatal resuscitation and stabilization for frontline health workers and works with stakeholders to promote long-term investment in newborn health.
