Jinja residents missing treatment over bad road

The bumpy state of the Kimaka-Budondo Road has forced several patients to cancel surgery appointments at Kyabirwa Surgical Centre in Budondo Sub-county, Jinja North City Division.

Privately-founded in September 2019 by members of Mount Sinai Health System based in the United States, the facility was constructed in a rural community to improve a long-standing stereotype that much-needed surgery is expensive and only available for the rich.

The anticipation was to provide between 65 percent and 75 percent of the community’s surgical needs, and has over the years completed close to 5,000 charitable surgical procedures for the vulnerable communities in Budondo and other parts of the country.

Budondo Sub-county comprises 52 villages and an estimated population of 55,000 people. However, it is home to one of the worst roads in Jinja City, which also serves as an alternative route to Kamuli District.

Ms Anna Turumanya Kalumuna, the hospital director, said many patients do not show up for surgery for fear of having to brave the bumpy road, especially after undergoing the procedure.

“The cancellation I am talking about is when a patient fears the risk involved with traveling to and from the hospital on a bad road,” Ms Kalumuna said in an interview at the weekend.

Ms Kalumuna added that use of motorcycles is the most common means of transport by most patients. However, after surgery, a patient is “delicate” and requires a “gentle ride” home, which is currently not possible due to the bad road.

“The numbers have dropped in that we schedule eight surgeries but end up getting about four coming and when the rest are called, many of them tell us that the Budondo Road has become impassable, but can only make it after it has been graded,” she explained.

She added: “The medics can’t cancel surgeries due to a bad road because they assume that the patient will beat the odds and make it to and from surgery. The surgeon can only reschedule the surgery if they aren’t around on that day, or if the patient hasn’t improved since his last visit or is being treated for some infection before being taken for surgery and so on.”

Ms Kalumuna said the road inconvenience also extends to the doctors and health workers in general, who have to drive to perform the surgeries.

Budondo and Butagaya sub-counties, where the road passes, are the food baskets of not only Jinja City, but also Kampala. 

Because of their fertile soils, the area is one of the successful model areas for horticulture farming in eastern Uganda, with most of its produce ending up in Amber Court Market near the roundabout nearJinja City.

The market, which is home to more than 2,000 traders dealing in mainly foodstuffs attracts traders from as far as Kampala, Mukono, Iganga and Mbale, among other destinations because of its relatively low prices.

But Mr Ayub Kitamilike, the chairperson of the market, said the heavy rains and impassable state of the road has affected their operations and pushed prices of some commodities up.

“Commodities such as tomatoes, eggplants and other vegetables arrive late yet they are supposed to be taken to as far as Kampala and Mukono. When such commodities are lacking in the market or arrive late, we can’t operate well,” he said.

Mr Kitamilike added that most foodstuffs from Budondo arrive at the market between 3am and 4am ahead of the opening of the market at 5:30am. But due to the impassable Budondo Road, sometimes the commodities arrive as late as 9am.

Mr Edward Lwanga, the Jinja City clerk, said they cannot tamper with any road during this heavy rainy season, warning that if graded and murrum added, the roads will become totally impassable and likely to be washed away.