Men, women share ward with children
Worrying. A male patient (left) rests while a mother attends to her sick child in Walukuba Health Centre IV in Jinja District on Saturday. PHOTO BY DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Ms Doreen Naigaga, another patient, said discomfort sets in when temperatures soar and yet she cannot put away some clothes to aerate the body.
- Mr Thomas Kirunda, one of the patients sharing a ward with women and children, said he too lacks privacy while there. He was quick to say he has no alternative as it is the nearest health facility he can run to whenever he is sick.
Jinja. Males, females and children are sharing wards in two health centres in Jinja District.
These are Walukuba Health Centre IV and Mpumudde Health Centre IV.
This was revealed on Thursday last week by the in-charge of health services in Jinja Municipality, Mr Stephen Banonya, while presenting a budgetary report at Jinja Town Hall.
“As health officers, we are entitled to provide privacy to patients but it is still a very big challenge. We have tried putting more emphasis on children and women, while encouraging men to go to other health centres, unless they are critically ill that they cannot move,” Mr Banonya said.
He added that they are overwhelmed by the big number of patients at the two health facilities yet they have inadequate structures.
“We receive 80 to 100 patients on a daily basis in the Out-Patient Department (OPD) at Walukuba Health Centre IV while at Mpumudde Health Centre IV, we receive about 100 to 200 patients daily,” he said.
Findings
When Daily Monitor visited the general ward at Walukuba Health Centre IV at the weekend, a male patient lay among the female and child patients.
Ms Sharifah Nantume, a resident of Walukuba Village, Walukuba Sub-county in Jinja District, who was found nursing her two-year-old son, said it is unfair for men to be crowded in the same ward with children and women.
“The children are very delicate and can end up contracting other diseases. For example, I came in here (Walukuba Health Centre IV) yesterday and my son was admitted in the general ward. I am now worried he is likely to return home with other diseases because he is sharing a ward with adults who have different diseases,” she said.
Ms Doreen Naigaga, another patient, said discomfort sets in when temperatures soar and yet she cannot put away some clothes to aerate the body.
Mr Thomas Kirunda, one of the patients sharing a ward with women and children, said he too lacks privacy while there. He was quick to say he has no alternative as it is the nearest health facility he can run to whenever he is sick.
“We appeal to our leaders to at least construct another building where they can accommodate us so that everyone can have privacy,” he said.
The Jinja Municipality speaker, Mr Moses Bizitu, said the district hospitals are being catered for by the central government and little attention is being paid to the distant health centres.
