In Uganda, neonatal mortality remains an urgent challenge. At Lacor, nurses work tirelessly to turn these uncertain beginnings into real chances of survival.
According to the latest national demographic survey, for every 1,000 children born alive, 22 die within the first month of life. The international target set for 2030 is to reduce this figure to fewer than 12 deaths per 1,000 live births: a goal that is still far off, making sustained investment in the care of the most fragile newborns essential.
The most recent international estimates show improvement, but confirm that neonatal health remains a priority.
It is precisely in the first days of life, often decisive ones, that the work of the nurses in Lacor Hospital’s Neonatology Unit becomes fundamental.
In the Neonatology Unit, inaugurated in 2023, premature and underweight babies, as well as newborns born in critical condition, are cared for. Many are born at Lacor or in other hospitals, while others arrive from home or from peripheral health centers, often after long and difficult journeys.
Premature babies are often born before the 37th week of pregnancy and weigh less than 2 kg. Each child has a different recovery time: they are discharged when their condition is stable, when they no longer need oxygen, and when they are able to breastfeed. Full-term newborns, on the other hand, are often admitted to the ward because of birth asphyxia or other complications requiring timely care.
Throughout all this, the nurses are a constant presence. They monitor vital signs, administer antibiotics, anticonvulsants, fluids, and supportive therapies, and care for babies who need oxygen, phototherapy, incubators, or heated cots. But their work is not only technical: they help mothers breastfeed, guide them through Kangaroo Mother Care, reassure them, and teach them how to recognize when their baby is in difficulty.
An interview with Florence Lamunu, head nurse, and nurse Clare Angut, available at this link (in English with italian sub-titles), offers a closer look at the work carried out in Lacor’s Neonatology Unit.
Alongside the doctors, Florence and Clare are invaluable figures in ensuring the quality of daily care. Their work helps make the Neonatology Unit a safer place, where the most vulnerable babies can receive specialist care and mothers are not left alone.
To Florence, Clare, and all the nurses of the Neonatology Unit, we extend our heartfelt thanks. Every day, they watch over the first breaths of the most fragile babies.
