The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The shortage of protective gears has grossly affected the management of COVID-19 suspects at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital. On Thursday afternoon, four COVID suspects were left unattended to for hours when health workers declined to interface with them citing lack of protective gears.
The four men driven from Bukedea district had sneaked back home from South Sudan. They were driven to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital from Bukedea district aboard an OPM disaster double cabin, few minutes past one o’clock. The officials who rushed the suspects to Soroti Hospital said the community in Bukedea reported the group after they arrived presenting with signs of flu and cough.
However, it took medics hours to admit the suspects to the isolation unit due to lack of face masks, gloves, aprons, gumboots and other protective gears. One of the doctors meant to attend to the suspects said that he couldn’t risk his life because of the failure by the authorities to provide protective gears.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the medic revealed that they have been struggling to attend to suspected corona patients using borrowed gears from private facilities like Doctors Plaza in Soroti.
“I have lost interest in this coronavirus fight. I feel like retiring to my village to dig instead because people here are not serious as if it’s not a serious disease. You know there is being good but you end up dying for it. When I leave here am going to switch off my phone to avoid the hospital disturbing me”, the angry medic said.
Simon Kisabagire, the Principal Administrator Soroti Regional Referral Hospital acknowledged the shortage of protective gears for staff. He revealed that the Hospital has been relying on a few gears from the TB ward, which he notes have now been exhausted.
Kisabagire also revealed that the hospital doesn’t have the thermometers for measuring temperatures of COVID-19 suspects. There are more than 10 persons in the isolation unit at Soroti Comprehensive Nursing School under the supervision of Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
Majority of the suspects are persons who travelled from different countries like United Arab Emirates, Italy, Kenya and South Sudan among others.
******
URN
