Govt must address poor health delivery

There seems to be no end in sight to the troubles facing the health sector in Uganda. Almost on a daily basis, there are media reports about the poor state of public health facilities across the country.
The Daily Monitor of Wednesday, September 4, run a story titled, ‘Male, female patients share ward.’ The story said due to congestion in Busiu and Bufumbo health centre IVs in Mbale District, male and female patients have been forced to share wards. By all accounts, this is a violation of the patients’ dignity and right to privacy.
“I am saddened that female and male patients share wards, which is not allowed. We are going to see how we can solve it,” Ms Connie Nakayenze Galiwango, the Mbale Woman MP, said.
However, the challenge to Ms Galiwango, the Ministry of Health, and the government in general, is that the troubles in Busiu and Bufumbo health centre IVs are not isolated cases. Just about a fortnight ago, dozens of infants were photographed crowded in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kawempe Hospital.
The disturbing pictures, which went viral on various media platforms, showed babies receiving care on hospital beds and plastic chairs. Then on Tuesday, a local TV station broadcast a story where health workers in Buliisa District Hospital were shown using torches to operate on a patient due to lack of electricity. Until recently, Tororo District Hospital was in a sorry state characterised by lack of water and electricity.
Sadly, the story is no different in many public hospitals across the country.
Therefore, when the Mbale Woman MP says “Government should equip the health centres with enough beds and ensure timely delivery of drugs,” we hope that her call is not restricted to only Busiu and Bufumbo health centre IVs, but to all struggling public centres countrywide.
But where are the three ministers and other high ranking officials superintending over the Health ministry docket in all this?
It is even stranger that leaders in Uganda can dream of attaining middle income status in 2020 in a country where citizens’ health is at stake. Without good health, the level of productivity will continue to be low. Low productivity means a vicious cycle of poverty.
The government must wake up and address the big challenge of poor service delivery in the health sector.
Our commitment to you

We pledge:
• To be accurate and fair in all we do.
• To be respectful to all in our pursuit of the truth.
• To refuse to accept any compensation beyond that provided by Monitor Publications Ltd. for what we do in our news gathering and decision-making.
Further, we ask that we be informed whenever you feel that we have fallen short in our attempt to keep these commitments.
[email protected]