For many pregnant women in Uganda, accessing an ultrasound scan has long meant travelling long distances, paying expensive private clinic fees or missing the service altogether. 

In Busoga and Rwenzori regions, a 2024 rapid assessment by the WeCare-saving mothers’ lives project found that no Health Centre IV had the complete combination of trained personnel, ultrasound equipment and supplies required to independently provide these services. As a result, many mothers were referred to private clinics where a single scan could cost between UGX 100,000 and 200,000 (22 – 45 €), an unaffordable expense for many families. 

As a result, there is delayed detection of pregnancy complications, late referrals and preventable maternal and newborn deaths. 

To address this gap, the WeCare project implemented by Enabel in partnership with the Ministry of Health sponsored 12 frontline health workers from Busoga and Rwenzori to undertake a one-year Diploma in Diagnostic Ultrasound at Ernest Cook University, Mengo. In May 2026, ten of those health workers graduated as qualified sonographers, returning to strengthen maternal healthcare services in public facilities across the two regions. 

The impact is already visible. 

Between January and May 2026, the newly trained sonographers conducted ultrasound scans to over 10,300 mothers across 14 health facilities in Busoga and Rwenzori. Only 41 mothers required referrals to private facilities, meaning most services were successfully delivered on-site. 

This is enabling mothers to access scans closer to home, often on the same day they visit the health facility. It is also reducing financial pressure on families by providing services free of charge in public facilities. 

Beyond obstetric scans, several sonographers have expanded services to include gynaecological, abdominal and small-parts scans, increasing access to diagnostic healthcare for surrounding communities. Ultrasound services play a critical role in maternal healthcare. They help confirm pregnancy viability, monitor foetal growth, detect multiple pregnancies and identify complications such as ectopic pregnancies, obstructed labour and abnormal foetal presentation early enough for timely health care. 

Despite their importance, access to ultrasound services remains limited in many parts of the country. According to Dr. Richard Mugahi, Commissioner for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health at the Ministry of Health, expanding access to diagnostic imaging is critical to improving maternal health outcomes. 

“As a country right now, only 28% of women can access obstetric ultrasound scans, which is appalling.  We are trying to bridge this gap, because high-risk operational response cannot be effective without access to the obstetric ultrasound services,” said Dr. Mugahi.   

In Uganda, where maternal mortality remains at 189 deaths per 100,000 live births, strengthening access to diagnostic services is essential to improving survival outcomes for mothers and babies. The WeCare project continues to work with health facilities through equipment provision, mentorship and stronger local government ownership to ensure these services remain sustainable within Uganda’s public health system. 

For Enabel, training sonographers is only one part of a broader effort to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare systems and improve the quality of services available to communities. 

"Today's milestone does not stand alone. It is part of a health system being strengthened on multiple fronts, which is the only way to achieve lasting improvements in maternal and newborn health," said Nicolas Oebel, Country Director of Enabel in Uganda. 

The graduation of these sonographers marks an important step toward safer pregnancies, stronger health systems and healthier communities across Uganda. 

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