Premature babies at Lira Regional Referral Hospital may soon have a safer journey to intensive care after hospital engineers developed a locally made baby transporter that provides oxygen during the critical transfer from the labour suite or theatre to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The innovation is intended to address one of the critical challenges in neonatal care at the hospital, where premature and critically ill babies are at risk of deterioration while being moved to the NICU, particularly when transfers are delayed or the newborns lack adequate oxygen support.
The transporter, developed by the hospital’s Engineering Department, is fitted with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) oxygen cylinders to provide babies with oxygen during the transfer, helping maintain continuity of care until they reach the NICU.
Dr William Oyang, the Senior Consultant Paediatrician, welcomed the innovation, saying it will improve the prognosis of newborns and reduce the risk of brain damage and other life-threatening complications that can occur when premature babies experience inadequate oxygen during transportation.
He said the innovation is particularly important given the vulnerability of premature babies, who require close monitoring and uninterrupted support from the time of delivery until they are admitted to the NICU.
The challenge of transferring newborns has for a long time affected the labour suite, according to Sr. Betty Apio, the unit’s in-charge. She said the absence of appropriate equipment has made it difficult to safely transfer premature babies to the NICU, exposing them to additional risks during the process.
Apio said the new transporter will make neonatal transfers safer, easier and more efficient. Phillip Ddungu, the Head of the Engineering Department, said the transporter was developed by the hospital’s Engineering Department as a locally available solution to improve the safety of newborns during the critical transfer period.
He said the hospital plans to further equip the transporter with temperature monitors and other vital equipment to enable health workers to monitor the condition of babies throughout the transfer.
Lira Regional Referral Hospital admits an average of 1,100 neonates every year, making safe transportation an important component of neonatal care.nThe innovation comes at a time when the hospital is expanding its capacity to manage critically ill newborns. In June, the NICU was commissioned to Level III, allowing it to provide more advanced care to babies with complicated conditions.
Dr Oyang said the hospital’s experience could provide a model for other health facilities facing similar challenges, particularly where access to expensive specialised neonatal transport equipment remains limited.
The locally developed transporter could potentially be replicated in other hospitals if its safety, functionality and effectiveness are demonstrated, providing a relatively affordable solution for improving the transfer of premature and critically ill newborns.
The innovation also highlights the role of hospital engineering departments in developing practical solutions to challenges affecting patient care, rather than relying entirely on imported equipment.
With further improvements, the hospital hopes to strengthen the transporter with additional monitoring equipment, making it possible for health workers to maintain closer observation and support of newborns from the point of delivery until admission to the NICU.
