The health workers stressed that, since family planning services are normally dispensed at the maternity units, several clients miss out due to long queues and related inconveniences.
The residents say that the health facilities that are in a dilapidated state are frustrating efforts of providing residents access to essential health services, like antenatal health care, family planning services, immunization, and antimalarial treatment.
Angela Namala, the acting Director of Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, who declined to reveal the cost of the entire renovation works told URN on Sunday that the ICU ward needed a facelift and the repair of some of the interior fittings.
A nurse working at the emergency ward who spoke on condition of anonymity says that, some financially capable patients opt for surrounding private health facilities, whereas others die during their referral to Mulago national referral hospital.
Angela Namala, the Hospital’s Acting Director, says that a number of their patients are often referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital to conclusively screen out mild cardiovascular complications.
The victims' parents say that the health workers were not readily available at the facility, but they interfaced with Kangawo, who offered to vaccinate them at a cost of 25,000 Shillings per victim, which they agreed to pay.
Speaking at the launch of the Field Epidemiology Training Program-FETP in Jinja city on Tuesday, Natalie, said that the US Center for Disease Control-CDC aims to empower frontline health workers with the required skills needed in response to epidemics and other related illnesses within their areas of operations.
The Hospital’s Deputy Director, Angella Namala said that, since gloves are essential for all health workers, the absence affects proper management of patients.
The hospital is reported to have runout of azithromycin, Vitamin C and Zinc in early June this year and have not received supplies from national medical stores-NMS ever since. This has prompted patients to purchase them exorbitantly from private pharmacies.
Florence Tugumisirize, the Executive Director of Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, says they have so far admitted 156 COVID-19 patients in the second wave. She says 124 of these were treated and discharged while 32 succumbed to the virus.
James Ongicha, the engineering technician and regional workshop manager says that, the plant used to refill five cylinders in two hours, however, it currently performs the same task for close to four hours, which creates the need to service it urgently.
A total of 32 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital’s ICU between May 2020 and April 2021. Of these, 26 died while only six were successfully discharged from the facility, while three other lives have been lost since the outbreak of the second wave last month.
Ruth Namukuve, a health worker in Buwenge says that the supplies received from the district health officials are insufficient to effectively attend to the ever-increasing numbers of covid-19 suspects who seek services at the facility daily.
“These two part-time anesthesiologists only show up to check on patients who fail to stabilize in a period of three days and when their situations are so complicated for us to handle, but the rest of the cases are being managed by the nurses throughout their admission at the ICU,” she says.
Samuel Kyomukama, the head of enforcement NDA, says that some drug outlets were selling drugs from unlabeled tins yet such storage facilities are a reserve of government entities.
Aisha Mohammed, an attendant of a patient told URN that her relative was receiving critical healthcare at a private clinic but the health workers directed them to offer him home-based oxygen therapies claiming that their patient had stabilized.
Mubarak Were, the hospital administrator, says the matter is being handled at a high level and they expect to have the ambulance back on the road soon.
