HOLY INNOCENTS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL EXPANDS SERVICES TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR CHILDREN CARE

Mbarara, Uganda Holy Innocents Children’s Hospital has expanded its pediatric, neonatal and surgical services to meet the growing demand for specialized care for children in the region, according to the Director of Nursing, James Karugaba.

By Sr. Stella Watsema OLGC

The hospital, was  established on July 4, 2009, by the Archdiocese of Mbarara with support from partners in San Diego and other supporters, was created primarily to reduce childhood deaths caused by malaria.

Mr. James Karugaba Director of Nursing at Holy Innocents Children Hospital Mbarara

Karugaba said the hospital has grown significantly since its establishment. It started with three wards but now has about five wards and provides services ranging from general pediatric care to surgery, neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care. Since it was opened, the hospital has treated and supported more than 400,000 children.

Growing newborn care services

According to Karugaba, the hospital began expanding its newborn services in 2013 and 2014 after identifying a growing need for specialized care for newborns, particularly because access to oxygen was limited in the region.

What was began as a four bed newborn unit has grown into a 20 bed unit, which Karugaba described as one of the leading newborn care facilities in the country. The hospital also opened its first operating theatre in 2018, allowing it to provide surgical care in addition to general pediatric medical services.

Children Ward at Holy Innocents Children Hospital Mbarara

In 2022, it established a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), followed by a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in 2024. In early 2026, the hospital further expanded its surgical services by introducing neurosurgery. Karugaba said more than 23 children with neurosurgical conditions have since undergone operations. An additional 15 children with neurological conditions, including brain tumours, were operated on during a recent surgical camp.

Free clinics support children with chronic illnesses

The hospital also provides public health and community services, including immunisation, disease prevention, health education, home-based services and school health programmes. Its curative services cover both acute and chronic illnesses. The hospital runs an HIV clinic throughout the week and a children's diabetes clinic every Friday.

Karugaba said the diabetes clinic currently follows about 80 children, making it the largest such clinic in the region. The children, aged from about three years to 18 and above, receive free insulin, medication, medical tests and follow-up care. The hospital also operates a young child clinic every Wednesday to monitor premature babies after they leave the newborn unit.

A separate chronic care clinic follows children with conditions such as asthma and sickle cell disease.

Pneumonia remains a leading cause of admission

Karugaba said pneumonia is the leading cause of admission among children receiving acute medical care at the hospital, followed by malaria and diarrhoeal diseases. Among newborns, major causes of admission include neonatal sepsis, birth asphyxia and prematurity. He said some of these conditions can be prevented or reduced through stronger newborn and maternal health services.

Hospital operating at full capacity

The rapid growth in services has increased pressure on the hospital's existing facilities. Karugaba said the hospital is frequently operating at full capacity, particularly because of the increasing demand for newborn and surgical care.

To address the problem, the hospital is developing a new three-storey building with a capacity of about 76 beds. The new structure will accommodate expanded newborn care, neurosurgery, ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery and other general services.

A three storey building with a capacity of about 76 beds structure under construction at Holy Innocents Children Hospital in Mbarara.

Hospital produces its own oxygen

Holy Innocents Children’s Hospital also produces medical oxygen on site. Karugaba said the hospital began producing oxygen in 2014 and now operates a commercial oxygen plant capable of producing about 55 cylinders a day, which he said is more than the hospital normally consumes.

The hospital uses about 96 to 150 cylinders a month, depending on demand, and sells surplus oxygen to other health facilities, particularly within the region. The hospital also uses a piped oxygen system connected to a central manifold, which helps reduce the need for individual cylinders at patients' bedsides

Ambulances support emergency response

The hospital has three ambulances two provided through Humanitarian Help for Uganda and one from the Government of Uganda. Karugaba said the ambulances responds to maternal, newborn and child health emergencies, as well as road crashes and other emergencies.

Ambulances for emergency response at the Hospital parking yard

Mothers and babies kept together

The hospital's newborn unit uses a zero separation model, which allows mothers and their newborn babies to remain together during treatment. Karugaba said the arrangement promotes bonding and can support the recovery of sick newborns. When a mother is critically ill after delivery, the hospital first stabilises the newborn. Once the mother recovers, she is reunited with the baby in the newborn unit.

Calls for a maternity unit

Although the hospital's main focus remains pediatric care, Karugaba said members of the public have called for the establishment of a maternity unit where mothers can receive care during childbirth. He said the idea is being considered as part of the hospital's long term vision of becoming a regional center of excellence in pediatric care.