The Spirited Women employee group from Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has given a piece of universal anaesthesia equipment to Mayuge Health Centre IV. The corporate society of safe motherhood campaign, led by Stanbic Bank, aims to support and raise awareness for maternal health by donating mama kits for the well-being of mothers in underserved hospitals and providing hospital equipment to chosen healthcare facilities. This donation is a part of that campaign. The purpose of UBL Spirited Women Network, an employee resource organisation within UBL, is to engage, develop, and retain female employees within the company by giving them a platform to succeed and make a difference.
The corporate relations director of Uganda Breweries Limited, Juliana Kagwa, praised the medical staff at the health centre for their commitment to providing high-quality antenatal care for all the expectant mothers who visit the facility during the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Health offices. She praised the midwives as well for their persistent dedication to assisting moms going through labour to have a safe birth. She urged Ugandans to give maternal health a priority in all fields of influence.
“As women at UBL, donating this maternal health equipment offers us an opportunity to support women in Uganda and make an impact in society, which also contributes to the broader UBL agenda on promoting inclusion and diversity under our Society 2030 sustainability strategy,” said Kagwa.
Maternal mortality reduced from 418 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006 to 336 deaths in 2016, according to the Uganda Health and Demographic Survey. Even still, 6,000 women and adolescent girls still pass away every year from conditions connected to pregnancy and delivery that may have been avoided. 20 to 30 women or girls are thought to suffer from wounds, infections, or permanent disability, such as obstetric fistula, for every woman or girl who passes away. The UNFPA estimates that delivering the required standard of maternal health care will reduce maternal fatalities by around two-thirds.
The UBL Spirited Women network comprises 147 female staff in UBL who are dedicated to creating and strengthing connections, supporting each other in career planning and personal development, as well as make an impact by raising awareness on various health topics. Spirited Women also take part in other initiatives which support other women in the communities in which UBL operates and beyond.
Under Uganda Breweries’ ‘Society 2030 Spirit of Progress Agenda’, UBL continues to champion inclusion and diversity throughout its value chain to see that women have equal opportunities in the workspace. The brewery rolled out an apprentice program for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) to shift the gender representation within the sector. This program aims to absorb 10 of the 30 trainees every year. At the most senior level, the board is made up of 44% women, and their goal is to have their senior leadership team 50% female by 2030. The brewery was also the first corporate company in Uganda to provide six months of Maternity Leave, fully paid to its female employees.
“We celebrate corporates like UBL for being businesses with a purpose. They find needs in the communities and utilize their resources to address them, said Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health.
“We thank UBL for the generous donation we’ve received today. It brings us so much joy and confidence to take care of mothers experiencing labour at the facility. I believe that mothers are now more confident to come and deliver from this facility, unlike when some mothers opted to travel to Kampala, where such services were readily available. We are now more equipped to handle complicated cases for mothers who will be giving birth through C-section,” said Dr. Sedawula Mike, Senior Medical Officer, Mayuge Health Centre IV.
The universal anesthesia machine has been uniquely designed with a monitor, vaporizer & ventilator. It can work both manually and automatically with a 6-hour backup in case of any power outage. The machine also has a seamless transition to room air when compressed oxygen is unavailable.
UBL has partnered with Stanbic on other initiatives such as the ROOTs Tree Planting campaign, Taasa Obutonde plastics management campaign and currently working together on pioneering a Plastics Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program in Uganda.
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