Masindi health centres in sorry state

Some health centres in Masindi District are operating in dire conditions and are appealing to government for immediate intervention.

In Pakanyi and Bwijanga sub-counties in Masindi District, health workers use torches to deliver mothers and to treat patients while on night duty. The health centres also lack sufficient water supply.

Mr Joseph Bogere, a resident of Pakanyi Sub-county, said they have a non-functional borehole at Kitanyata Health Centre II which was meant to serve the health facility.

Worse still, the solar lighting system at the facility is not in use due to a mechanical problem.
“We have spent six months without water and light at Kitanyata Health Centre II but patients improvise by using their own sources of light like torches,” Mr Bogere said.

He said residents are living in fear because of the prolonged dry spell and patients admitted in the area walk long distances in search of water to use at the facility.

Kitanyata Health Centre II has been using solar light installed by the district health department in January 2018 but recently it got mechanical problems.

Ms Asaba Nelder, a local monitor for Forum for women in democracy in Bwijanga Sub-county, said there is lack of water at Kikingura Health Centre II and also the lighting system got problems which have prompted some expectant mothers to remain at home at the time of delivery.

“We use solar because we do not have electricity this side and the solar system is also not working these days and the lack of water too is also making the expectant mothers remain at home during delivery times which is very risky,” Mr Asaba said.

Double tragedy
Mr Asaba said the condition of the health facility is not favouring patients as the Out Patients Department (OPD) developed cracks and patients and health workers are always in fear while inside.
“We also have the cracked OPD which has not been renovated leaving us in fear” Mr Asaba said.

When contacted, the Masindi District engineer, Mr Ramek Atugonza, reasoned that the lack of water at Kitanyata Health Centre II is due to the low water levels in the area at the supply source and the small pipes used in constructing the borehole at the facility.
“The water levels are low and pipes cannot reach the water down but we shall rectify it soon,” Mr Atugonza said.

The district health inspector, Mr Patrick Baguma, said the health department is in partnership with a malaria control organisation to help in renovating the cracked Kikingura Health Centre II.
“We are to use private partnership and renovate Kikingura health centre, we talked with them and they told us to wait for Christmas holidays to end so we expect them before February,” Mr Baguma said.

Health budget
Mr Baguma added that in the health budget, they are to rectify all health centres with solar lighting systems.
“We are to use more than Shs53 million and rectify the solar systems so that light can be installed back at the facilities,” he said.

The Bwijanga sub-county chairperson, Ms Olivia Mugisa, said they are organising a fundraising to build the missing placenta pit at Kikingura since efforts to build it were futile after several letters written to different leaders.

According to the district budget framework paper, the district is planning to set up a kitchen at Masindi main hospital and Bwijanga Health Centre.

POLICY PASSED
The Masindi assistant chief administrative officer, Mr Fred Kisembo, said the district administration passed a policy to have water at every health centre but it has not yet been implemented and instructed the district engineer to urgently ensure all health centres are supplied with water.
“Imagine a woman has delivered in the darkness and has no water, let us have our health facilities served before we do anything else,” Mr Kisembo said.