PANORAMA: How extortion syndicates hijacked Mbale hospital

The Standards compliance, accreditation and patient protection department of the Ministry of Health revealed on Thursday during the commemoration of World Patient Safety Day, that only 30% of the patients who seek healthcare in government health facilities are satisfied with the services. This, according to the Ministry’s own admission, is a testament that the country is falling short of the international standards for patient safety. The reasons for the poor score vary across the country, ranging from absenteeism of medical personnel, and poorly equipped facilities, to vices such as bribery and extortion. In this week’s edition of Panorama, we take you to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital where extortion syndicates of medical personnel and hospital staff working with private clinics are menacing patients, which apparently authorities know about.