Health workers concerned about reduction of patient numbers in hospitals

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health workers are concerned about the reduction in the number of patients in hospitals.

The health workers argue that the reduction could result in a serious public health crisis for the country.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, President Yoweri Museveni put in place measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Among the measures was banning public transport and enforcement of a curfew.

This resulted in a reduction of patients accessing services including those seeking very critical services like maternity and paediatric services.

Dr Alfred Lumala, the medical director of Kitovu Hospital is concerned that the patients turn up has drastically reduced by more than half from the daily average of 700 people.

He explains that the lockdown is taking a heavy toll on the general health system delivery in the area. He explains that many patients on life-support treatment have also been lost for follow-up which could complicate their conditions.

Dr Lumala is worried that deaths are unreported in the community because people are failing to access treatment.

Catherine Nakagiri Kisseka, the Assistant principal nursing officer at Kitovu Hospital says that ambulances cannot attend to the demands in the current lockdown which leaves a number of people unattended to.

So far, at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital where they register a daily average of 2,000 patients that include up to 40 deliveries, the numbers have also reduced to as low as only 36 percent according to their register.

URN reporter visited the children and maternity wards and found nine patients admitted.

Dr Gonzaga Ssenyondo, a consultant gynaecologist at the hospital notes that in cases of emergencies, they advise patients to seek the services from the nearby lower health centres except for serious emergence cases.

“We decided to decongest as per the Ministry of Health guidelines. We no longer accept attendants because of the risk of contracting infections from the hospital. We also suspended elective surgery mainly gynaecological,” he noted.

Beatrice Molly Nambejja, the in-charge of Kasana Health Centre III in Nyendo-Ssenyange Division of Masaka Municipality indicates that the lower health units are also missing out on enough manpower and medical supplies to handle the increasing number of patients.

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