Joy as Masaka hospital installs CCTV cameras

According to Dr Nathan Onyachi, the director of Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, the project funded by the government at a tune of Shs20m, has seen a total of 20 cameras   installed around the facility.

He said the installation of cameras is part of the security measures introduced at the facility.

“We have been facing a challenge of intruders, including petty thieves, who enter the hospital and steal property. Some staff have also been extorting money from patients and with these cameras, it will be easy to track such people who have been tainting our image,”  Dr Onyachi said during an interview on Tuesday.

Dr Onyachi said the cameras, which were installed early this month, have so far helped them arrest two people involved in criminal activities inside the hospital.
“With camera footage, it has been easy to reconstruct the scene of the crime and get the culprits even after the crime has already been committed,” he added.

Mr Andrew Kakooza, a boda boda cyclist operating near the hospital main gate, said the cameras will help reduce cases of people who steal babies from the maternity ward and those involved in theft of motorcycles at their stage.

“Putting cameras here is a step in the right direction and we are also going to benefit as boda boda cyclists because thieves have been taking our motorcyclists without a trace,” he said.

Mr Swaibu Makumbi, a social critic, welcomed the cameras, saying they will improve health care services since issues of health workers harassing expectant mothers will easily be detected.

In 2019, then State minister of Health in-charge of General Duties Sarah Opendi  instructed authorities at various regional referral hospitals to install cameras to address the challenge of extortions.

She said a big number of regional referral hospitals were stuck with the challenge of health workers extorting money from patients.

Ms Opendi said the corruption cases reported at public hospitals scare away patients, especially expectant mothers, who end up in the hands of unqualified practitioners and traditional birth attendants.

Masaka Regional Referral Hospital has in the past few years recorded criminal cases, including theft of babies and extortion. In 2017, a male staff in the laboratory department was arrested by police after demanding Shs30,000 from a female patient to take a blood sample.

Masaka hospital management has been grappling with many challenges ranging from lack of space to accommodate the overwhelming numbers of patients, inadequate drugs to irregular power supply.

However, most of these challenges have been addressed after the facility received financial support from the Japanese government and Pakistani University of Lahore.

Currently, a maternity complex estimated to have cost Shs10.6 billion has been completed at the hospital. 

Challenges
Catalysts
Masaka Regional Referral Hospital has in the past few years recorded criminal cases, including theft of babies and extortion. In 2017, a male staff in the laboratory department was arrested by police after demanding Shs30,000 from a female patient to take a blood sample.
 

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