Africa-Press – Uganda. Ongino hospital in Kumi District has called for help fix the theatre which is operating without many equipment.
Acting medical director for the hospital Lazarus Odwar said the lights, anaesthesia machine, oxygen concentrator and the blood count machine no longer work.
Ongino hospital that was founded by the Church in 1922 is a private not-for-profit facility which receives some support from the government.
Mr Odwar said irrespective of the hospital’s challenges, in 2020, they received 17,000 patients at the outpatient department with 6,000 being under the age of 10.
He added that they conducted 1,039 surgeries with 73 being caesarean deliveries.
“The ambulance services got grounded long ago. The hospital is way behind its standards and yet we handle patients of different categories,” he said at the weekend. Mr Odwar said the entire staff housing is in a total mess while obsolete machines are outdated. The assistant district health officer for maternal and child health in Kumi District, Ms Susan Okwakol, confirmed that the health facility, which is also a home for leprosy patients, is facing numerous challenges, but encouraged medical personnel to soldier on.
“Even with the theatre lacking equipment, they only registered one maternal death this year, which is commendable,” she said.
Ms Okwakol added that Ongino hospital is one of the specialised hospitals other than Atutur, which is supported by the government. Mr Nelson Mandela Elungant, the chairperson-elect for Kumi, said the health sector needs urgent attention.He said despite the facility not being fully owned by the government, people receive medication at a subsidised fee.
“As the next district chairperson, I will make matters of health key to my five-year term. We will drum up support for the facility,” Mr Elungant said.
*Additional reporting by Vicent Emong
