Africa-Press – Uganda. Medical workers say they lack delivery beds and a blood pressure (BP) machine, which is crucial in determining blood circulation and health of a patient.
A newly upgraded health centre III is operating without basic medical equipment and beds, leaving patients and expectant mothers sprawled on mattresses across the facility.
Lolwe Health Centre II in Kadenge Village Landing Site, Lolwe Sub-county in Namayingo District, was recently upgraded to a health centre III at a cost of Shs600m.
However, health workers, who spoke to Daily Monitor on condition of anonymity, said they were shifted from the old facility to start attending to patients in the new facility that has no beds and mattresses.
“We are challenged when expectant mothers come to the facility and we lack privacy and the equipment used in a labour ward,” a nurse said on Wednesday.
She said they lack delivery beds and a blood pressure (BP) machine, which is crucial in determining the blood circulation and health of a patient, among other things.
“The common diseases affecting the fishing community in the area are malaria, typhoid and bilharzia due to unsafe water sources. Although there are boreholes, they cannot serve the entire community,” another health worker said.
The upgrade comes as a relief to Sigulu, which was the only sub-county in the district with a health centre III.
For long, the district has been grappling with many challenges, including expectant mothers taking a 20-kilometre boat expedition to Kenya to give birth and immunise their children.
The deputy Resident District Commissioner of Namayingo, Mr Majid Dhikusooka, on Wednesday confirmed that there are no beds in the facility because it has not been commissioned.
According to him, the facility will officially be opened to the public tomorrow.
Benefits of upgrade
Upgrading to a health centre III directly leads to an increase in service delivery and amount of drugs stock from Shs1.2m to Shs4.4m bi-monthly.
It also comes with an increase in primary health care [PHC] grant from Shs1.5m to Shs17m per quarter.
