Rotary E-Club, Peoples Foundation donate Incubator to Zebilla District Hospital

The Upper East Region has in the recent past recorded a rising number of preterm babies, this phenomenon has increased the need for incubators at major health centres across the Region.

The Bawku West District hospital which serves over 140,000 people has been fortunate to receive an ultra-modern infant incubator.

The donation was implemented with full funding support from a Rotary District Grant secured through the Keystone International Rotary E-Club of District 7280 in the United States and locally implemented by its partner organization, The Peoples Foundation for Health and Education Development.

A Rotaract member of the club, Mr Edward Azure, made the presentation on behalf of the Keystone E-Club and The Peoples Foundation.

When reached for comment, the founder and Executive Director of the Peoples Foundation, Dr. Simon Aseno who is also a member of the Keystone E-club and sits on the board of the club as the New Generations Chair said, "On behalf of the people of Zebilla and behalf of the people's foundation, I am immensely thankful for the district grant which has made this life-saving device available to serve our district. Our partnership to date has seen so many projects from education to healthcare come to life in this district.”

Dr Aseno admonished that the incubator be put to proper use. “I would like to encourage the hospital management to put the incubator to good use and care for it as though they procured it from their own funds to ensure its sustainability. That puts us in a position where we are able to secure additional funding for other projects," he added.

On his part, the Bawku West Medical Director, Mr. Ayobi Abdul Rahaman was full of gratitude for the donation and underscored the importance of the donation to preterm and neonatal service delivery in the facility. He assured the foundation of efficient management of the incubator to achieve its intended purpose.

The donation of the incubator to the Zebilla District Hospital is a time intervention due to the proximity of the area to the conflict-prone Bawku area.

Dr. Gillian Bogee, the Senior Medical Officer and Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Upper East Regional Hospital in a news interview with local media in November 2023 attributed the high of preterm births recorded to the protracted Bawku conflict.

“The conflict and the elevation of stress hormones in these women can predispose these women to having preterm delivery.h The conflict, stress, anxiety, and uncertainty can predispose them to having preterm deliveries. We are seeing the rise in preterm deliveries in the Upper East region,” she stated.