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Crisis as Jinja Hospital’s only anesthesiologist leaves for greener pastures
Some of the beds in the Intensive Care Unit at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, which underwent renovation by the Engineering Brigade of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and was commissioned in March 2024. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- The Hospital Director, Dr Alfred Yayi, said the anesthesiologist’s departure from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) department has created a “big challenge.”
Jinja Regional Referral Hospital's only anesthesiologist has departed for greener pastures, leaving the health facility racing against time to find a replacement.
The departure of the anesthesiologist comes amidst government efforts to improve salaries for healthcare workers and scientists, including science teachers, among others.
An anesthesiologist is a doctor who has special training in administering drugs or other agents to prevent or relieve pain during surgery or other procedures.
The Hospital Director, Dr Alfred Yayi, said the anesthesiologist’s departure from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) department has created a “big challenge.”
“We made a submission for replacement for two anesthesiologists because the one who was here left for greener pastures, and we now face a challenge of running the ICU because an anesthesiologist is very crucial,” Dr Yayi said in an interview on Wednesday.
He added that besides the absence of an anesthesiologist, for an ICU to operate smoothly, each bed should have at least three critical nurses, meaning 30 nurses are needed; however, the facility only has six such nurses.
Dr Yayi says the facility receives between one and three patients weekly destined for the ICU, and about eight in a month, which he says “overwhelms” the nurses in the unit, especially when the number of the patients increases. He, however, notes that the ICU is “operational”.
When asked about the costs associated with ICU services, he noted that while the facility is government-owned, there is a cost-sharing model in place, though his administration is still clarifying the specifics with the Ministry of Health.
“The ICU maintenance cost is very expensive; however, the services are always available,” said Dr Yayi.
The ICU underwent renovation by the Engineering Brigade of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and was commissioned in March and equipped with 10 functional beds and other equipment at a combined cost of Shs800m.
Following its upgrading in June, eight children with cardiac problems have successfully undergone heart surgeries conducted by cardiologists from the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI).
The UHI Executive Director, Dr John Omagino, said Mulago Hospital has one operation theater and is congested, while Jinja Regional Referral Hospital can handle most cases because it has a modern ICU and equipment.
