Health centres stranded with new beds over lack of space

Health facilities in Kibuku, Budaka and Pallisa districts are stuck with the new beds and mattresses that were recently delivered by the Ministry of Health over lack of space.

The health centres are also facing a challenge of lack of delivery beds despite the overwhelming deliveries registered at various facilities across North Bukedi Sub-region.

This was discovered last week during a tour of the health facilities in the sub-region by leaders of Bugwere cultural institution headed by the prime minister, Mr Joel Mugulusi

Mr Jacob Owino, a senior clinical officer at Budaka Health Centre IV, said although there are more beds and mattresses from the ministry, the facility wards are too small to accommodate them.

“We are struggling with limited space. The new beds and mattresses are just piled in the corridors due to lack of space,” he told the cultural leaders last week.

Mr Jacob Owino, a clinical officer, also said the facility has only one delivery bed

 “The challenge is when two or three pregnant mothers come to deliver at the facility. It poses a big dilemma to us,” Mr Owino said.

Mr Owino added that the facility also lacks a fully functional emergency department due to lack of ambulances.

“We are losing many lives, which could be avoided if the facility is fully equipped with an ambulance,” he said.

Ms Allen Mutonyi, a midwife at Kibuku Health Centre IV, said lack of delivery beds at the facility has crippled service delivery. 

“Expectant mothers seeking to deliver at the facility could find themselves delivering on the floor due to lack of delivery beds in the maternity wing,” she explained.

At Iki-Iki Health Centre III in Budaka District, the officer-in-charge, Mr Cornelius Mbulalina, said the issue of space remains a big challenge.

Big gaps

“This was just a dispensary and then turned into a health centre III but without infrastructure,” Mr Mbulalina said.

He added: “The facility received 20 mattresses and 20 beds but because of lack of space, we are not using them,” he said.

The administrator of Pallisa Hospital, Mr Geoffrey Ekisa, said since the inception of the facility in 1969, it has been operating on a capacity of two delivery beds.

“The hospital has only two delivery beds despite the huge influx of pregnant mothers who seek to deliver at the facility,” Mr Ekisa said.

The Pallisa Hospital medical superintendent, Dr David Okoth, explained that they had developed a 10-year master plan to have it expanded but this did not materialise.

“The best alternative is to have this facility expanded and fully equipped because the patient turnover is too high,” Dr Okoth said.

The minister of health in the Bugwere cultural institution, Dr Jeremiah Twa-Twa, said the objective of the tour of health facilities in the sub-region was intended to carry out a needs assessment.

“The institution is working to partner with the government in different development programmes, especially in improving the health services in the districts that form North Bukedi Sub-region,” he said.