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Violent Covid-19 patients broke doors, shower heads, cistern covers and disconnected flush valves and destroyed sockets in the hospital
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The management of Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital is assessing the cost of damages caused by violent patients and suspects of coronavirus plus constant disinfection of its premises and equipment since March last year. In March 2020, the hospital closed all departments such as dental, surgery, outpatients to focus on managing only COVID-19 disease cases.
The hospital with a total of 200 beds handled 1,324 patients between March 21st 2020, and February 2021. Of these, ten succumbed to the lethal virus.
Muhammad Mubiru, the principal hospital administrator says some of the patients were violent and as a result, broke doors, shower heads, cistern covers and loosened or disconnected flush valves and destroyed sockets.
He explained that some patients and suspects especially the foreign truck drivers tried to escape or commit suicide by breaking doors and windows. They did this out of anger and bitterness because they were confined for not less than 14 days while some became mentally unstable after contracting COVID-19. “That’s why we requested for deployment of military police officers to control the unruly cases and also got psychiatrists on board,” Mubiru says.
On Monday morning, some journalists made a tour inside the private maternity ward, one of the wards that was turned into a COVID-19 treatment unit. The tour was guided by Mubiru and Eric Sserwanga, the hospital administrator.
The ward was last used in January. “This place is safe because we have disinfected it several times,” Mubiru told the journalists, “We would not have brought you here if it was unsafe.”
The ward is on the first floor of the Outpatients Department on the left hand side from the main gate. From the reception area to the stairs, everything looks fine. However, the lifts near the staircase are not working while paint on the staircase rails had peeled off. Towards the maternity ward, rusted items including over 30 beds, tables and hand washing machines and a broken door have been placed in the corridor.
Mubiru says that management reinforced locks and hinges on the double doors for the ward in vain.
As a result, management put up a plywood block-board, fitted with one door to ensure patients and suspects do not escape. Some patients however decided to vent their anger by writing on the partition. For instance, one wrote, “There is no one who is sick…” while another person wrote a vulgar insult at the doctors and nurses.
Sserwanga says some patients resorted to breaking taps, sinks or washing basins, breaking cistern covers and plastic floats. “Some patients would swing on the shower heads and overtime, the shower heads either got loose or broken.”
However, some of the damage has also been caused by the continual use of chemicals such as chlorine and bleach such as jik as disinfectants.
Enoch Shiloba, one of the hygienists says they have been mixing water with jik for handwashing and 0.05 percent for cleaning utensils, personal protective equipment and all surfaces including beds and floors. As a result, hinges, locks, beds, and tables have rusted while floors have stains.
Mubiru says that the management is yet to determine the cost of the damage. However, its pre-qualified service providers especially for civil and electrical works will assess the damage caused and will determine the amount needed for repairs. However, beds and tables will have to be replaced.
He says on face value, the repairs and replacements will cost not less than shillings 50 million and that management can fix some of the damages using internal resources. However, the ministry of health will also look into the matter and provide support because it has been handling COVID-19 related costs such as feeding of health workers and patients and payment of risk allowances.
The hospital was allocated shillings 5 billion for the 2020/2021 financial year.
As a result, Mubiru says that the hospital needs time to first fix the damages before it can re-open to the public.
The resumption of normal operations also depends on the completion of the renovation works at the Entebbe National Isolation Centre. Henry Ssuubi, the site engineer from BMK Uganda Ltd says that the works will be completed by end of next month.
Mubiru however says the hospital will re-open as soon as the damages have been fixed. Management will allocate some staff and a ward for COVID-19 cases in the event the national isolation works remain incomplete by end of April. The hospital currently has three patients and two suspects. They are using the general private wing of the Outpatients Department.
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