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Mbarara referral hospital where mothers deliver, sleep on floors
Some of the mothers on the floor at Mbarara hospital maternity ward on Thursday. PHOTO BY RAJAB MUKOMBOZI.
What you need to know:
According to the hospital executive director, the facility receives more than 100 mothers a day and carries out 30 deliveries.
MBARARA
At Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital mothers swarm the floor and verandahs for lack of space and beds in the wards. “I delivered by caesarean section on Wednesday morning, I was given space on the floor in this congested corridor but as you see we are almost suffocating. I am lucky because some other mothers are outside in the verandah,” Ms Eunice Mwiine, a mother of one.
The hospital administration say they are overwhelmed by the numbers of the mothers visiting the facility amidst shortage of beddings and space. “On some days there are many patients on the floor on the different wards because there are no beds. It is common to find patients sleeping in the corridors and verandahs due to limited space,” the hospital executive director, Dr George Upenytho, told Ministry of Health Officials on Thursday. He said obstetrics (pregnancy, childbirth) and paediatrics (children) is the biggest department at the hospital, accounting for 55 per cent of the admissions.
Dr Upenytho added that the department has 70 beds; 20 for antenatal and 30 for postnatal and 20 are used in handling other cases. He said the department can receive more than 100 mothers a day and carries out 30 deliveries. He expressed concern that the congestion is contributing to the high cross- infection rates especially in the post-delivery ward.
Dr Upenytho called on the Health ministry to intervene. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Asuman Lukwago, said they are also concerned about the plight of the patients but added that the solution remains completion of the new hospital bloc.
The State Minister for Health General Duties, Mr Elioda Tumwesigye said shortfalls in the ministry budget is affecting affecting service delivery. “We had budgeted Shs1.6 billion for beddings and mattresses last financial year but we could not purchase them because of shortfalls in the budget. We now we need Shs22 billion for the same,” Dr Tumwesigye said.
He, however, noted that as they work to address the challenge of beddings, they are also striving to see that services at lower health centres improve such that regional hospitals are not congested.
“Most of these mothers you see on the floor in corridors and verandahs can be attended to at lower health centres. We need to improve services there such that referral hospitals handle only complicated cases,’’ the minister said.
The ministry officials were at the hospital to receive 100 beds that have been donated by the Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary Ms Rosette Byengoma in her capacity.
