Patients’ lives at risk as water crisis hits health centres in Kasese

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A severe water crisis has hit health centres in Kasese district exposing the lives of patients and medical workers to risk.

Most of the health centres visited by URN have inadequate or lack of water to run their operations. They are forced to get their water from unreliable points including boreholes and streams.

Out of 22 health centres III’s in the district, at least seven of don’t have a reliable source of water while out of 60 health centre II’s at least 10 don’t have safe water.

At Nyamirami health centre IV in Muhokya sub county, the operations of the theatre were halted due to the breakdown of the gravity water system.

At Muhokya HCIII, the situation has forced patients to turn to use dirty water in the harvesting tanks while others trek to unprotected streams.

Sadress Masika from Mpondwe, says that women have been the most hit by the water crisis in health facilities. She blames leaders for lack of a political will to address the water shortage in the district.

Elizabeth Kabugho a nurse at Kamasasa HCII in Mpondwe says medical personnel at the facility have to buy water for themselves since their tap was disconnected.

According to Kabugho, the facility is supposed to use the Primary Health Care-PHC fund to purchase water, but the process of accessing the funds is bureaucratic.

Steven Bagonza, the Acting DHO-Environment Health Kasese says most of the boreholes that were drilled four years ago, have since broken down.

Bagonza says they are currently mapping out health centres without water to ensure that water is restored at the facilities.

He also says they’re also looking out for partners to help the district expand its water coverage.

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