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Butabika turns away patient over space
Butabika Hospital main gate. The hospital is overwhelmed due to alcohol and drug-related mental illnesses. Photo/Sylivia Katushabe
What you need to know:
- The Uganda National Household Survey reported that 26.8 percent of the population in 2014 were alcohol users, with heavy episodic drinking prevalent among young people between the age of 15 and 19 with males being the frequent drinkers.
Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital recently turned away a patient over lack of space, a senior government official has revealed.
Dr Henry G. Mwebesa, the director general of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, said many patients suffer from mental illnesses triggered by alcohol abuse.
“Recently, I tried to get space for a friend in the alcohol and drug unit but I was told ‘we have no space’. The place was too full and I had to leave. You can see how the burden is, ” he said.
Dr Mwebesa made the remarks at a press conference organised by the Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance (UAPA) at Parliament yesterday in commemoration of World Alcohol Free Day.
He said alcohol and drug abuse must be addressed in order to decongest hospitals.
Dr Mwebesa noted that in 2020, a household survey conducted by Uganda National Bureau of Statistics revealed that Karamoja has the highest consumption rate of alcohol at 48 percent.
“This indicates that almost half of the population is drunk. The unfortunate part is that most of the consumers are young people. This was followed by West Nile at 15 percent,” he said.
Mr Grace Bikumbi, a clinical psychologist at Butabika Hospital, said the hospital struggles to accommodate about 1,000 patients.
“There is no space left, because patients are flooding in every other day. The hospital is overwhelmed as it has always been reported by the director of the hospital. Currently, a hospital with a capacity of 550 beds is housing about 1,000 patients, 40 percent of whom are due to alcohol and drug abuse,” he said.
Mr Bikumbi said youth aged between 18 and 25, constitute about 90 percent of patients with mental illnesses at the hospital. He said on a daily basis, the alcohol and drug unit admits at least five new patients.
Dr Mwebesa also said alcohol and drug abuse were responsible for a highest percent of road accidents, domestic violence, poverty and non-communicable disease, including cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.
He cited the enactment of National Alcohol Control Policy 2019, the small alcohol sachet ban in 2018, drafting of the National Alcohol Control Bill as some of the measures the government has taken to minimise consumption of alcohol in Uganda.
Ms Juliet Namukasa, the chairperson of Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance (UAPA), asked government to expedite the process of enacting National Alcohol Control Bill into law.
Mr Geoffrey Macho, the chairperson of Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health, who doubles as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Busia Municipality, stressed the need for the Uganda National Bureau of statistics (UNBS) to conduct regular inspections to crack down on those selling adulterated alcohol that claim lives or cause visual and mental impairment.
“They should do regular checkups to ensure that those producing alcohol stick to the requirement standards and save lives,” Mr Macho said.
He also said local governments should come up with bylaws and ordinances to regulate alcohol consumption.
Ms Sarah Opendi, the Tororo District Woman MP, called for responsible consumption of alcohol and tasked government to license alcohol businesses.
“We cannot stop the consumption of alcohol but, drink responsibly. Those involved in production should be licensed to save lives. We have seen people going blind as a result of consuming alcohol mixed with what we don’t know. Others have lost lives,” she said.
Ms Opendi revealed that about 65 percent of alcohol in Uganda is not licensed.
On the issue of a private member’s National Alcohol Control Bill, the legislator said stakeholders’ consultations were complete and that the Bill would soon be tabled in Parliament.
Last year, Ms Opendi introduced a Private Members Bill that seeks to regulate the manufacturer, importation, sale, and consumption of alcohol.
Statistics
The Uganda National Household Survey reported that 26.8 percent of the population in 2014 were alcohol users, with heavy episodic drinking prevalent among young people between the age of 15 and 19 with males being the frequent drinkers.
The 2018 World Health Organisation’s Status report on alcohol and health indicates that Uganda’s Alcohol Per Capita Consumption (APC) stood at 9.4 litres with a higher APC of 25.8 litres observed among drinkers aged 15 and above.
