Butabika Hospital lacks staff

May 01, 2013

Butabika Hospital is facing a problem of shortage of staff.The hospital was established in 1955 and is the only national referral mental health institution in the country.

By Benon Tugumisirize

Butabika Hospital is facing a problem of shortage of staff.The hospital was established in 1955 and is the only national referral mental health institution in the country.

David Basangwa, the acting executive director of Butabika Hospital said even when most of the patients recover and are sent back home, the problem of staff shortage still stands.

Basangwa said the Health Service Commission structure does not allow them to recruit staff to cater for the increasing number of patients.

“The Health Service Commission still uses the 1980 structure that does not cater for the daily increase of patients at the facility. The Government should design a new recruitment structure to urgently solve this problem,” he said.

He added that the facility has only five specialist psychiatrists, yet they need 16, 184 nurses instead of the 260 required and two clinical psychiatrists, yet the facility needs 10.

Basangwa said for over 57 years, Butabika Hospital has provided comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and training in mental health.

The hospital provides specialist care and management for patients with mental and psychosocial problems on a referral basis.

At the same time, it is a teaching hospital, specialising in mental health.

Basangwa said the hospital also provides general inpatient and outpatient services to about 1,000 patients daily.

He explained that such challenges have made the understaffed facility fail to provide ample services.

Basangwa said some patients have recovered and are ready to go back to their homes, but opt to remain at the hospital thus increasing the number of patients and straining the facility’s meagre resources.

He said the patients complain that they are not easily accepted when they return to their communities.

“We can’t send them away without knowing that they will get back to their homes,” Basangwa said.

 

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