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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On June 6, Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited (SUHL), the parent company of Stanbic Bank donated equipment worth Shs20 million to Mbale Referral Hospital and Maluku Health Center III, as part of its Corporate Social Investment.
The support aims to improve maternal healthcare services across the country. The donation was part of community engagement activities by a delegation of Stanbic Uganda leaders led by SUHL Chief Executive, Francis Karuhanga, who were on a week-long tour of the bank’s regional operations in the Eastern part of Uganda.
“Health is our wealth as a country and supporting government efforts in this sector through our ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Health, is an important aspect of our Corporate Social Investment strategy, the other priorities being education and environmental conservation.
Executives said the donated equipment will support these facilities in enhancing service to expectant mothers to deliver safely, as part of their efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
The equipment included six baby cribs, a pulse oximeter, 100 Mama Kits, two patient beds, and a delivery set which are all essentials for safe delivery during labour.
According to the Ministry of Health, partner-supported government efforts to reduce maternal mortality are beginning to yield fruits. The latest statistics show a reduction from 339 to 189 in 100,000 live births.
Mable Referral Hospital handles between 300-400 deliveries monthly in addition to the treatment of 1000-1300 children at inpatient and outpatient wings, according to Dr. Abeso Julian, the Head of Pediatrics at Mbale Referral Hospital.
“We are incredibly grateful to Stanbic Bank for their generosity and commitment to improving maternal healthcare in our community. The equipment they have donated will greatly enhance our capacity to provide safe and effective care to expectant mothers and their newborns,” she said.
Karim Masaba, the Mbale Industrial Division Member of Parliament called upon the private sector to emulate Stanbic’s generosity and support communities where their businesses operate.
“As a longstanding customer, I am proud of this gesture by Stanbic Bank. There are many companies in town doing business but not everyone has the heart of giving back to our community. Thank you for loving the people of Mbale,” Masaba said.
Mbale Referral Hospital serves a population of over five million people in 17 districts that make up the region. Some of these districts include Mbale, Budaka, Bududa, Bukedea, Bukwo, Bulambuli, Butaleja, Kapchorwa, Kumi, Manafwa, Sironko among others.
Stanbic also supports other health facilities in the country including Kawempe National Referral Hospital, and Kiruddu National Referral Hospital among others as part of its wider CSI strategy. The two hospitals deliver one of the largest numbers of babies daily but lack enough equipment to support the deliveries.
SUHL is part of the Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest bank by assets. The Holding company comprises five subsidiaries including Stanbic Bank; Stanbic Properties Limited; SBG Securities Uganda Limited an investment and brokerage firm, Stanbic Business Incubator Limited, an enterprise development centre and FlyHub Uganda Limited, the technologies and innovations company.
