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Tension as more Kalisizo hospital staff test positive for Covid -19
Kyotera County MP, Mr John Pul Mpalanyi addressing medical workers at Kalisizo hospital in Kyotera District on July 2, 2021. PHOTO/ Ambrose Musasizi
Five more health workers at Kalisizo hospital have tested positive for Covid-19, raising concern among the hospital staff and the community.
The number of positive cases among the hospital staff members has now risen to 18 after 13 were infected last week.
Dr Emmanuel Ssekyeru, the hospital Medical Superintendent said this has raised concern in the community as some outpatients have started shunning the facility.
Last week, Daily Monitor reported that patients had shunned the facility after learning of the 13 cases among the staff.
Only five patients would report at the Out Patients Department (OPD) compared to over 30 patients who reported in the past months.
Dr Ssekyeru said there’s fear among health workers who think they are too exposed because of inadequate personal protective equipment.
“However much these people attend to patients, the fear is inevitable depending on the statistics of deaths and people in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) which they get from media and their friends,” Dr Ssekyeru said Friday as he received Shs30 million medical supplies donated by Kyotera County MP, Mr John Paul Mpalanyi.
The consignment included 250 Covid-19 vaccine dozes, gumboots, safety goggles, clothing and tablets among others.
Dr Ssekyeru further expressed concern over inadequate medical oxygen at the facility which he said limits on the number of patients they can admit in ICU.
“We can only attend to one or two patients because we only have 10 oxygen concentrators at the moment. We need protective gears as we attend to the patients as well as motivational allowances”, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Joachim Wasswa, the district surveillance focal person revealed that the district needs stringent measures to curb the spread of the virus since the district borders Tanzania which puts their lives at more risks.
