Obongi Gets Six Portable Ultrasound Machines to Improve Antenatal Care

What the report says

Obongi District in Uganda’s West Nile region has received six portable ultrasound machines to expand antenatal care and make pregnancy scans more accessible to women in both host communities and the Palorinya refugee settlement. According to Nile Post, the equipment has been distributed to Aliba, Obongi, Belle, Idiwa, Luru and Palorinya health centres, where trained midwives are expected to carry out the scans.

District health officials said the donation is meant to address a long-running gap in diagnostic services. Before the new machines arrived, patients needing scans were often referred from Obongi Health Centre IV to facilities in nearby districts, including Moyo, Adjumani and Yumbe. The district said the new setup should reduce travel burdens for pregnant women and allow complications to be detected earlier.

Obongi District Health Officer Dr Joseph Arike Koluni urged residents to use the services, while thanking the Government of Uganda, Pathfinder International and the United Kingdom government for supporting the district. Pathfinder International regional coordinator Dr Daniel Kamya said the intervention followed discussions with the British High Commission, the Ministry of Health and district leaders about gaps in maternal care.

Nile Post reported that about Shs120 million was spent on the machines and another Shs50 million on training six health workers to operate them. More broadly, the move fits into ongoing efforts to strengthen maternal health services in refugee-hosting areas, where local facilities often serve both refugees and surrounding communities.