Health centre still operates in tents after 2020 floods

Butiaba Health Centre III in Buliisa District is still operating in makeshift structures as authorities are yet to secure land for the relocation of the facility that was displaced by floods nearly two years ago.

In October 2020, the health facility, which was submerged by rising waters from Lake Albert, was shifted to a temporary shelter at Fisheries department facilities in Butiaba.

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) secured tents and some medical equipment to enable continuity of services in anticipation of relocation to a better facility.

But Dr Moses Kahwa, the officer-in-charge of Butiaba Health Centre III, says the makeshift structure appears to have turned into their permanent home, something he says is not medically right.

“We are currently using tents as our facility. We received tents from the Office of the Prime Minister plus 25 beds, mattresses, blankets and bed sheets but we don’t have a lighting system, and during the day, the tents are very hot,” he says.

Dr Kahwa adds that since the facility is not fenced and is located near Lake Albert, during night, it is at risk of being attacked by the roaming crocodiles and hippopotamuses.

“We have midwives who are afraid of working at night, especially when they see crocodiles,” he says.
Dr Kahwa explains that the tents and the beds are inadequate for the patients.

“Our patients don’t have privacy, we are working in open space and now the patients also share the ward,” he says.
As a result, he reveals they have since suspended some services such as surgeries since there is no space to keep the machines. At the facility, both patients, staff and community members share one five-stance pit-latrine.

Last year, OPM secured Shs800m to relocate and build a new health facility, and tasked Buliisa District leaders to secure about five acres of land to accommodate it.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) engineering department was contracted to build the new facility.

Land acquisition
However, the Butiaba Town Clerk, Ms Susan Kusemererwa, explains that they have acquired land in Tugombili Village.

“We would have finished with getting the land title for the facility land but we were delayed by some optimistic individuals who have been disturbing us with the intention to have the facility located in their area,” he reveals.

Ms Kusemererwa reveals that recently, they acquired 20 acres of land in Tugombili Village but said they are in the process of demarcating the boundaries and processing the title.

“We are now at the stage of opening up boundaries on the new land and after, we process the land title that we acquired. We shall present the land title to the Prime Minister’s office to prove ownership before starting construction,” she explains.

A similar situation is being experienced in Ntoroko District where the authorities are yet to find land for relocation of Rwangara Health Centre III in Kanara Sub-county, which was displaced by floods from Lake Albert.

Last year, when Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja visited the flood victims, she said the government had secured Shs800m to build a new facility in Rwangara after district leaders secured another piece of land. 

The district leaders secured the land but the construction of the facility has not commenced.

The flood victims seek health services in Rwebisengo or Butungama health facilities, a distance that requires at least Shs20,000 as transport.