The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Hoima Regional Referral Hospital is battling an acute shortage of drugs and medical supplies.
Statistics at the hospital indicate that the facility receives between 800 to 1,000 patients daily exerting pressure on the few available drugs allocated to the hospital.
Records at the regional health facility further show that it lacks essential medicines such as anti-malaria drugs, antibiotics, vaccines and medical supplies such as syringes, gloves, catheters and gauze among others.
Dr. Ibrahim Bwanga, the Acting Director of Hoima Hospital told Uganda Radio Network (URN) in an interview that, patients from as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC flock to the facility to get appropriate medical attention hence exerting more pressure on the few available resources.
He says the number of patients visiting the hospital for treatment has more than doubled given the influx of refugees stationed at the Kyangwali and Panyadoli refugee settlement areas in Kikuube and Kiryandongo districts and the high number of people flocking to the region to work in the oil and gas sector.
He says, that though the facility receives medical supplies from the National Medical Stores-NMS, the drugs get finished within two weeks given the overwhelming number of patients.
According to Bwanga, sometimes the National medical stores take four months without delivering medical supplies to the facility hence creating a big gap.
He appeals to the government to increase the hospital budget to effectively handle the overwhelming number of patients.
The facility is also facing a shortage of human resources with the current staffing level standing at 27 percent.
Rogers Balikurungi, a resident of Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube says, the government should consider allocating more drugs and human resources to the health facility to enhance appropriate health service delivery.
Patrick Musinguzi, a resident of Kigorobya town council in Hoima who was found at the facility explains that, at times patients are forced to line up for drugs for long hours, which they don’t get.
British American Tobacco established Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in 1910 as a dispensary in 1935. It was later elevated to a district hospital and in 2004 it was upgraded to a regional referral hospital.
The Hoima Regional Referral Hospital serves a population of 3.5 million people from the nine districts of Hoima, Buliisa, Kiryandongo, Kakumiro, Kagadi, Kibaale, Masindi, Kikuube, and Hoima City.
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