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Hospital in Kumi operates clinic under tree
Patients with sickle cell and diabetes receive treatment under a tree in Atutur Hospital in Kumi District yesterday. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Data from Uganda's Ministry of Health shows that at least 20,000 babies are born with sickle cells annually.
Atutur Hospital in Kumi District is handling patients under a tree because of limited facilities.
Dr Sarah Asio, a doctor at the facility, told Monitor that the clinic they are running handles 700 persons with sickle cell disease and another 400 with diabetes.
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“Though the conditions were not favourable, I was touched by the suffering of the patients. The clinic started in 2015. Even the health workers at that time didn’t know about these conditions and they would neglect the patients, so I decided to take the lead,” she said.
Dr Charles Oyoo, the commissioner for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the Ministry of Health, when asked whether many hospitals are having such experiences said there is limited funding for NCDs.
“Lack of space is a reality in hospitals. But it also depends on the patients’ volume and how you schedule the clinic. Sometimes we advise that you schedule a clinic on a day that is not busy so that you operate under a roof,” he said.
According to Dr Ann Akiteng, the deputy director of Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Non-Communicable Diseases (UINCD), a non-governmental organisation that is working with the Ministry of Health to strengthen care for NCDs, a building will be constructed for Atutur sickle cell and diabetes clinic.
She said this will be in a project they are running to implement between 2022 and 2024. The initiative aims at improving access to healthcare, early detection and prevention of NCDs.
The deaths due to NCDs and injuries in the country have doubled in the last two decades, hitting 41 percent of the annual deaths from all causes registered in the country annually.
Prevalence
According to the World Health Organisation, sickle cell disease is a genetic condition due to a haemoglobin disorder and inheritance of mutant haemoglobin genes from both parents.
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The chronic and debilitating medical condition is caused by a defect in red blood cells. Data from the Ministry of Health shows that at least 20,000 babies are born with sickle cells annually.
