Stranded patients reveal their ordeal as Cancer Institute returns them home

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Moses Okiror had surgery for oral cancer at Uganda Cancer Institute-UCI earlier in March this year. He was put on chemotherapy for a month after which doctors discharged him to return home.

But he couldn’t because of the ban of public and private means of transport as part of the measures to contain the spread of coronavirus disease COVID-19. Okiror has since remained stranded in the hospital where he sleeps on the veranda.

On a lucky day, he taps into food distributed to patients in admission. Okiror isn’t alone. More than 200 patients have been stranded at the institute since the lockdown was announced, something that has not only been challenging their welfare but also implementation of the COVID-19 related social distancing protocols as patients have to scramble for the few verandas to sleep.

UCI ran to the National COVID -19 taskforce for help. Dr. Jackson Orem, the UCI Executive Director told URN that the task force and Works and Transport Ministry availed them two buses plying the Northern and Eastern routes to take up to a hundred patients.

URN found 27 patients aboard a bus heading to Eastern Uganda on Friday morning. Elizabeth Nemwa, who is battling cancer of the cervix had come to the institute for review using a vehicle provided by her area member of parliament in Butaleja.

She had to part with Shillings 180,000 to fuel it and needed about the same to return but couldn’t afford it.

Beliga Tugume who is battling skin cancer isn’t that lucky. There’s no free transport yet to Fort Portal since patients from Western Uganda according to Ronald Oroma, a social worker coordinating the travelers. He says some had already traveled at their own expense. He said the institute got them a bus and they had to pay on approval by UCI.

Now, for the eastern region bus that might travel Saturday, Oroma says they are planning to take about 22 travelers for free. He says the Eastern and Northern still contribute the highest number of patients seeking care at the institute.

Some of them are outpatients who seek treatment periodically while others choose to stay until their treatment is completed because of transport costs even when public transport is operational. The lockdown he says for them particularly meant they would stay at the institute longer if not helped.

Oroma says the departure of the patients will relieve the institute of congestion and scramble for food.

Tugume who has been at the institute since February as he awaits his fortnightly dose of chemotherapy might continue battling the rainy nights and mosquitoes. He told URN that he thought he would return home in May but still can’t travel privately adding that he can’t afford buying himself supplementary treatments too.

The challenge he says UCI asked him to return home because they can’t feed him even as he can take to the veranda like other stranded colleagues for accommodation.

The lucky ones who got a chance of going home today, the new worry is how they will afford to return for review. Many don’t have a plan yet as some have to return as early as June. For instance, Okiror who has lost a son back in Amuria while still at Institute told URN that all he wants is returning home.

He doesn’t know how he will return in August if the lockdown isn’t lifted by the president come Tuesday when the two weeks extension ends.

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URN