Swaibu Makumbi, the chairperson of the Southern Region Social Rights Association alleges that despite charging patients, the private wing competes for medical equipment with the general wards and priority is often given to paying patients and oftentimes, the underprivileged are sidelined.
Doctor Herbert Kalema, the Senior Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, says that they intend to start carrying out the operations and repairs on all fistula cases registered from the facility.
Dr Allan Niyonzima Muruta, the Commissioner for Integrated Epidemiology and Surveillance at the Ministry of Health, says that the country remains vulnerable to serious disease outbreaks, hence the need to make a considerable investment towards building the required response capabilities at different levels in the health services delivery chain.
Dr. Katungi blames the absence of an anesthetist to limited staffing levels at the health unit. The health center, which is supposed to have 57 staff, is short by over 20 health workers.
Dr. Juko says that all these health workers that were in contact with the deceased have been identified and they have started taking samples from them so that they can establish their status.
Herman Ssentongo, the Masaka Resident District Commissioner and Chairperson of the District COVID-19 Response Taskforce, says they have started tracing for the contacts of the confirmed cases to isolate them before they are tested.
An asymptomatic female COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment at the hospital lost her cool on Sunday and recorded a video bemoaning the unconducive situation at the ward, which she says isn’t appropriate for patients.
The patients also recorded videos, in which they accused the hospital management of failure to care for them, lamping them together with new patients and feeding them poorly.
Dr Nathan Onyaki, the Hospital Medical Director says that their Mental Ward had been set aside for the isolation and treatment of COVID-19 patients. The centre was designated to manage cases evacuated from the Mutukula One-Stop Border Post at the Uganda-Tanzania entry point, however, it is receiving cases from as far as Isingiro district.
The 30-years old Bodaboda rider from Rakai district is the second COVID-19 patient to be discharged from Masaka Regional Referral Hospital after undergoing treatment for the last three weeks. He was registered as the second confirmed COVID-19 case from the local community believed to have contracted the virus from passengers who sneak into Tanzania through the porous borders.
Doctor Nathan Onyaki, the Hospital Medical Director says the patient was received on April 22rd and was the first one to be admitted in the hospital’s treatment center.
Currently, the Hospital is attending to five COVID-19 patients who were picked from the areas of Rakai district and at Uganda-Tanzania border of Mutukula in recent days. However, the hospital does not have the required capacity to attend to patients especially those in critical condition.
Catherine Nakagiri Kisseka, the Assistant Principal Nursing Officer at Kitovu Hospital has warned that the country is likely to face disturbing figures of child and maternal mortality adverse effects of the lockdown.
Masaka Hospital Superintendent Dr Nathan Onyaki who also coordinates the task force in the nine districts of greater Masaka says that logistical challenges are threatening their operations. He explains that the task force, which is directly charged with coordinating the activates of lower surveillance teams at the districts has run out of fuel, after emptying their reserve in the last two weeks.
Maria Nalunkuuma, a resident of Kyamulibwa Sub County in Kalungu district says she was referred to Masaka Hospital to undergo a Hernia operation but has failed to get affordable transport means to take them home. Nalunkuuma, who was discharged on Wednesday needs at least 200,000 Shillings to hire a private vehicle back home.
The Masaka Resident District Commissioner, Herman Ssentongo, who heads the District Emergency Taskforce, confirms that a resolution was taken during an emergency meeting with stakeholders on the state of affairs of the area.
The samples of the 43-year-old man were on Wednesday taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute-UVRI in Entebbe. This was after he presented himself to the hospital with symptoms similar to coronavirus.
