Government must prioritise health sector funding

In the story titled:

(Daily Monitor, June 26), worrying statistics are pointed out. Kyamuswa Health Centre IV is a district health facility that serves 61 islands in the area.
The centre is meant to work on 30,000 patients a month. However, it is poorly facilitated to do this. For starters, it has 24 staff and yet it should ideally have 72 medics. Imagine the nightmare the staff goes through trying to treat as many people as possible.
The facility receives Shs2.9m every quarter for running its activities. But Mr Martin Mukasa, the officer in charge of the health centre, says it is not enough to handle medical outreaches such as when the health workers need to deliver antiretroviral treatment on a daily basis.
Kyamuswa health centre is not the only one experiencing such problems. In January, this newspaper carried a story, ‘Poor working conditions hinder health service delivery’, in which it was reported that the 2015/2016 annual health sector performance review showed that the country has a staffing gap of 73 per cent (anaesthetic officers), 60 per cent (pharmacists), and 25 per cent (midwives).
This has affected health service delivery for many people, especially those living in the rural areas, who cannot afford private healthcare. It is also probably a reason many people in the country tend to self-medicate. Since they are unable to get services from the centre, they go to the nearest pharmacy or drug shop and buy what they think will relieve them from their ailment. Last week, the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, apologised on behalf of government and Parliament, for the budget cuts to the Health ministry. She said she is going to steer and advocate for revision and raising of budgetary provisions to the health sector. This is a good gesture, but more needs to be done.
With each passing day, a mother loses her life in the maternity ward; cancer claims the lives of people. With each passing day, more complications arise.
In West Nile, for example, Arua Regional Referral Hospital and Yumbe Hospital are bearing the brunt of sudden high numbers due to the influx of South Sudan refugees. Most refugees are referred to Arua Hospital. This creates a problem, especially of bedding facilities as patients are forced to sleep on the floor.
The hospital has not had a functional X-ray machine for about a year now. These underlying problems will not disappear until enough funds are provided, something that should not be taken lightly. After all, a wise man once said, the wealth of a nation depends upon health of its people.