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Bushenyi Health Centre IV without drugs for 2 months
Patients stranded at the Out Patient Department at Bushenyi Health Centre IV in Bushenyi District on August 20, 2022. PHOTO/MILTON BANDIHO
What you need to know:
- The hospital that receives about 1,000 patients monthly lacks enough medicine.
The officer-in-charge of Bushenyi Health Centre IV, Dr Peter Yeeka, has decried the lack of medical supplies at the facility for two months. Dr Yeeka said the health centre ran out of stock in June.
“We received 2,000 patients in the Out Patient Department (OPD) last month compared to 1,484 in May and June, even other health facilities refer patients to us and this makes it hard to have drugs all the time,” he said.
He added: “We do 199 normal deliveries and 51 Caesarean Sections, but the funny part of it is we don’t even have a syringe of 5mls, we live by God’s grace.”
Dr Yeeka said the facility also has limited space to accommodate patients.
He added: “We are in a fix because both male, female and even children are mixed. We don’t have wards to accommodate them.”
Mr Gregory Tushabe, the district assistant Health Officer, asked government to revive the schedule of supplying medicines to hospitals.
“We are operating on a budget given to National Medical Stores (NMS) for supplies after two months because of the increased number of patients at the facility, we must revise this to stop the challenge of drug stock-out,” he said.
He added: “We have been getting drugs from other health centres to curb the shortage at Bushenyi Health Centre IV as we await the normal deliveries from NMS.”
Mr Seleverio Mukobi Byarufu, the Bushenyi-Ishaka municipality town clerk, said: “We have spent up to two months without supplies. We have tried to report the matter to the Ministry of Health for possible emergency supplies in vain.”
Mr Elias Turyomuriwe, a resident of Bunyarigi in Central Ward in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, who had escorted his wife to the facility for delivery on Saturday said he had to purchase all the prescribed medicines from a private clinic in Bushenyi Town.
“I spent up to Shs150,000 on drugs from a private clinic, it’s not easy but still better than when you are admitted to a private hospital,” he said.
Ms Juliet Kyohangirwe, another patient at the facility, said she was admitted on Tuesday night and was told to buy drugs from elsewhere.
“I was administered someone’s drugs and I was told that on Wednesday morning, I will have to buy the drugs and refund the ones I was given in the night,” she said.
Medical stores say
The National Medical Stores (NMS) spokesperson, Ms Sheila Nduhukire, when contacted said: “We deliver medicines and other medical supplies once every two months from health centres IIs to regional hospitals; and monthly to national referrals, based on the facilities’ budget and requisition”. Ms Nduhukire said the health facility will receive its supply towards the end of August in accordance with the NMS supply schedule.
“Our last delivery to Bushenyi Health Centre IV was in June, which is ordinarily within our two months schedule. We are expediting our deliveries to ensure they are served at the earliest possible in any case, not later than the end of August,” she said.
