Atutur Hospital in dilapidated state

Nov 19, 2006

THE delivery of services in Atutur Hospital in Kumi district has been crippled by dilapidated old equipment that broke down, including the X-Ray machine.

By Jonathan Angura

THE delivery of services in Atutur Hospital in Kumi district has been crippled by dilapidated old equipment that broke down, including the X-Ray machine.

Located about 45km on the Mbale – Soroti highway, Atutur is a referral hospital for Kumi and Bukedea districts. The sewerage system is blocked and the soak pit burst letting out the waste into the nearby gardens.

The hospital has no water and the power generator is old. It leaks, rendering it expensive to use because of high fuel consumption, leaving the hospital dark during load shedding.
The mortuary is permanently unlit and most security lights around the hospital are non-functional.

Medical superintendent Dr. Julius Mugweri, who is the only medical officer in the hospital, said recently that most of the facilities required replacement.
He said the hospital, which opened in 1969, is supposed to have at least three medical officers, but whenever the district advertises the posts, no applications are received.

“The X-Ray system that had served for over 35 years, broke down two years ago and our appeals to have it replaced have not yielded any fruits,” Mugweri said.

Mugweri said the hospital had no water because the pumps had broken down while the sewerage system got blocked and requires a lot of money to repair.
He said the hospital, designed for 100 beds, admits patients far beyond its capacity.

Mugweri, however, said the hospital had enough drugs and the patients are treated.

The LC5 chairman, Ishmael Orot, said the district was aware of the plight of the hospital and was lobbying assistance from the Ministry of Health.

“We are aware and we are very sorry about it. The ministry has promised us an ultra-sound scanning machine. We have earmarked sh20m from the equalisation grant to the district expected at the end of this financial year for the repair of the sewerage system,” Orot said.
The hospital has one ambulance.

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