By Martha John Savio – Kitgum Uganda
Kitgum district general hospital faces number of challenges that hinders effective service delivery to patients.
This was revealed Monday after an investigation on hearing lots of expectant mothers complained about mama kits items that are not distributed or some of the items are less as expected and a mother who have to go under surgery section should pay a bill of eighty thousand Ugandan Shillings (80,000/=) yet the government funds the hospital.
In an exclusive interview with Kitgum district chairperson vice Mrs. Atim Hellen Joyce and with some patients whose identities are hidden
They were able to reveal some of the challenges which are, there are no ultra sound to improve service delivery and the hospital had only one ultra sound which was stolen and up to date it is not recovered.
The hospital is under staff where there only two (2) doctors and six (6) doctors at the general section yet the number of the patients over weight that of the doctors.
More still Mrs. Atim adds that, she noticed that there is no security deployment at the hospital to protect hospital property and even patient’s property.
Mrs. Atim further revealed that, there a number of inlets into the hospital that intruders enter through to the hospital.
The hospital referral process is weak in that, it lacks some hospital facilities and patients are always referred to private clinics and buy some medical facilities from.
On reaching to the hospital administrator and in Charge of Kitgum general hospital, he said, “the challenges are administrative which will be worked on”.
However, Mrs. Atim said, “as government property and being government represent, they will work together with other officials to protect the citizens”.
Mrs. Atim added that, she assured expectant mothers to receive full mama kits to help some vulnerable mothers who are unable to purchase the mama kits by their own.
Atim said she will give recommendation to deploy security, close other inlets and leave only two out lets that is the entrance and exit.
She said, she will work with public officers to ensure that, more staff are employed to be able to deliver service to the patients.
Conclusively Mrs. Atim said, she wonders how comes that joint medical stores supply the hospital with medical facilities how comes that, patients have to buy medical facilities from clinics.
She stressed out that, Kitgum general hospital is a government property and for this time, the Councilors of Kitgum district will have to monitor closely on every activity that is being conducted at the hospital with fairness to the patients including monitoring of the medical facilities supplied by the joint medical stores.