Although he was a known diabetic patient, there is speculation that his condition worsened when he contracted Covid19 leading to his death. Two other health workers at Lira Regional Referral Hospital tested positive for Covid19 on September 5th, 2020.
Care givers at the Hospital's gate
Lira Regional Referral Hospital has temporarily closed its gates
to the public in fear of a surge in Covid19 infections following the death of a
doctor at the facility. Dr. Patrick Odongo, 56, a native of Bala sub-county in
Kole district breathed his last in the hospital’s intensive care unit on Saturday
night.
Although he was a known diabetic patient, there is
speculation that his condition worsened when he contracted Covid19 leading to
his death. Two other health workers at Lira Regional Referral Hospital tested
positive for Covid19 on September 5th, 2020.
This brings to six, the number of health workers who have
tested positive for the virus at the facility. As a result, management has
called the facility to the public. Currently, only patients with discharge
forms are being let out of the hospital.
One of the guards at the hospital main
gate told URN that people are not being allowed into the facility. He explained that they are waiting for resolutions from an ongoing meeting
involving all the Hospital’s Departmental Heads.
“For now it is temporary
closure because we still do not know what will come out of that meeting. For
now, the best I can do for the patient attendants is to register names of their
patients and delivery whatever they had brought for them,” he said.
“And if they want to talk to someone inside, I call their names using this
megaphone and they come and talk from a safe distance from each other,” he added.
However, Judith Namirimu Polah Nanyonjo, the Senior Principal Nursing Officer
heading the Covid19 task force of medical workers in Lango, says the hospital isn’t
closed.
She confirmed that there are medical workers who got infected although she
could not confirm the number. “The information that the hospital is closed is
not true but there are medical practitioners who have tested positive and the
fact that they tested positive does not mean that the hospital should close.”
Attempts
to get any information from Dr. Stephen Obbo, the Lira Referral Hospital
Director were futile as he said he was looked up in an important meeting.