The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Thursday donated medical equipment worth $110,000 (Rwf80 million) to Kabaya and Ngororero hospitals, and different community health posts, all in Ngororero district of the Western Province.

The donation follows an assessment carried out in 2012 by the Ministry of Health in partnership with UNFPA to identify the gaps in the provision of health services.

The assessment identified gaps in the provision of maternal healthcare and elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission in the district.

The donation included 150 hospital beds, mattresses, 30 midwifery kits , delivery tables, oxygen concentrators, fetal heart dopplers and sterilizers  among others.

Daniel Alemu, UNFPA deputy country representative said the donation will help boost access to quality health services and save children and mother’s lives.

 "I hope the equipment will improve the quality of health services in these hospitals and improve mother and  child care services,” he said.

Dr Xavier Noël Dushimimana, the director of Kabaya Hospital, said the donation will help address some of the problems the hospital was facing.

"We have one old operating theatre dating back to 1980 when the hospital was opened. I am glad we received new equipment for the theatre that will help us safeguard the mothers that we help deliver,” he said.

As doctors, we do our best to  provide quality services but we need efficient equipments to use, Dr Dushimimana added.

Clotilde Nyiraneza, the vice mayor for social affairs in Ngororero District, said the donation will help solve logistical problems in the 16 community health posts, locally known as fosacoms.

She said: "We have several fosacoms in the district but lack the means to avail them with the necessary equipment.”

She said the donation will help improve health services across the district.

Apart from Ngororero, UNFPA supports Rubavu, Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi in areas of family planning, maternal health, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention.

Information from the Ministry of Health indicates that 57 per cent of women in Ngororero utilize modern contraceptives.