West Nile patients dying due to power shortages

Patients are dying due to consistent power cuts in West Nile, the the Monitor has established.

According to investigations conducted by our reporters, for the last one year, Zombo hospital alone lost 13 people, especially those on life support machines and oxygen therapy.

The District Health Officer for Zombo, Dr Mark Bonny Bramali, confirmed that they lost 13 patients between 2021 and 2022 at the various health units.

“This was due to the unstable power supply across Zombo District. We have heavy medical equipment installed at the hospital that must run on a stable power source. Although we are connected to both hydropower stations at Nyagak and our solar power, the supply has been unstable. West Nile Rural Electrification Company (Wenreco) power station cannot support the machines,” he said.

He said sometimes power runs for fewer hours and goes off, adding that “with such interruptions, a patient who needs support to breathe will just die.”

In Pakwach District, the health centre IV administration confirmed one death that was registered in 2022 due to power cuts.

The Nyapea Hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Jammy Omara, said: “We have a three-phase solar system (main source), Wenreco grid (1st backup) and generator (2nd back up). So the losses aren’t associated to power blackouts at the hospital. Major impact of power outage is on oxygen supply at Arua Regional Referral Hospital, which has an oxygen plant that refills oxygen cylinders for all of the hospitals.”

Mr Geoffrey Oromcan, a senior nursing officer at Pakwach Health Centre IV, confirmed loss of a premature baby last month due to a power cut.

“We get power blackouts yet we have machines that need constant supply. Our Gene Expert machines for detecting TB need to run up to the last test but if there is power interruption, the tests stop and it wastes cartridges. Recently, we lost 40 cartridges to power outages,” he said.

The health centre does not have adequate funding for fuel to run generators when they get emergencies.

“The worst is that the theatre becomes non-functional due to shortages. If power is unstable, sterilisation of equipment is difficult in the theatres. In the maternity ward and neonatal wards, babies die due to power outages too,” he said.

Sometimes Pakwach Health Centre IV experiences power blackouts for over five hours. At the time of emergency, many of such cases are referred to Angal, Lacor or Nebbi hospitals where there are backup generators. The centre runs a generator that consumes 40 litres of fuel a day.

August 27, 2020 remains a depressing day in the life of Mr Festo Ocopi and his wife, Ms Grace Cikawun, residents of Jupanyondo Village, Nyibola Ward in Paidha Town Council, Zombo District, who lost their baby during delivery due to power cuts.

The couple was expecting a baby girl but their joy was cut short due to power shortage.

“When the doctor discovered that she could not deliver normally, she underwent surgery. But it was unfortunate that the baby girl died because of lack of oxygen when power went off at Nyapea hospital. I was traumatised but I forgave the hospital administration because they tried hard to save the life of both my wife and the baby,” he said. He appealed to government to connect them to the national grid.

“Loss of a life in that manner is painful. It is the government responsibility to provide adequate and affordable power supply. I believe that the government is aware of our plight and should not continue promising,” he said.

The other death is that of the late Valente Oyukutu, a former UN Consultant.

Mr Stephen Okello, a resident of Jupanjau Village in Thatha Division, Nebbi Municipality, also recalled how he lost his father due to lack of oxygen after power went off.

“He was responding well to treatment but when power went off, we lost him,” he said.

On June 18, 2021, it was reported that power went off at Arua hospital, leading to deaths of five Covid-19 patients.

When asked whether the family would sue the hospital, Mr Okello said the family did not want to go to court because of the lengthy process of court.

Response

Responding to the claims, the general manager of Wenreco, Mr Kenneth Kigumba, said: “We have dedicated lines for referral hospitals and district hospitals like Nebbi where we do not interrupt power supply. Power can only go off in those facilities when we also have nothing to supply for example when Nyagak Power Dam went down and Electromaxx had no fuel to supply the grid.”

According to the Afrobarometer 2021 report, only one in four Ugandans (26 percent) live in households that are connected to the electric grid. Urban residents (67 percent) are five times as likely to have an electricity connection as their rural counterparts (13 percent).

The June 29 report by the power supplier, Wenreco, stated: “The main electrician at the hospital was not available (at the time of outage) but the key to the generator room was with him. The hospital administrator called him in vain but he did not pick the call. Therefore, the administrator had to rush to his home to get the key and the electrician was found drunk at home.”