Naguru hospital CT-scan broke down three years ago — Management

______________________

The management of China-Uganda Friendship hospital, Naguru has made an plea for a new computer tomography scan (CT-scan) after one they had, broke down three years ago.

A CT-scan is an imaging medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. It is also used for diagnosis of complex cases like head injuries which cannot be effectively captured by an ordinary x-ray. The hospital director, Dr. Emmanuel Tugaineyo echoed this on Wednesday May 29, 2024 while interacting with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC/Central) under the stewardship of the vice chairperson Gorett Namugga (Mawogola South, NUP).

Naguru hospital director, Emmanuel Tugaineyo, appearing before the Public Accounts committee on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

This was during deliberations on Auditor General (AG) John Muwanga’s 2022/23 Financial Year (FY) audit report on the entity. Addressing the legislators, Tugaineyo who was transferred to the institution from Mbale regional referral hospital two years ago, revealed that his entity has been grappling with an obsolete imaging machine for the last three years.

Although management had constantly got accustomed to repairing the machine, each time it broke down, during the year under review, it totally gave way, constraining service delivery.

“It is obsolete in terms of performance because this is a CT-scan that gives two cuts. Diagnostically it is not good even if it was functional because you would easily miss a certain measure, say a centimeter and it only gives you two cuts. The current ones that we have in regional referral hospitals make 32 cuts,” Tugaineyo retorted. A cut is an imaging procedure used to detect an obstruction, abnormalities, or inflammation in the sinus.

“Naguru hospital has no CT-scan and this has been our song, year in, year out. I found it down, I think it is about three years,” he added. Resultantly, he intimated that they have had to refer clients with head injuries, mostly boda boda (commercial motorcyclists) to other facilities for examination which has had a negative out-turn on their Non-Tax Revenue (NTR).  During the 2022/23 FY, China-Uganda Friendship hospital, Naguru; had a budget sh12.53billion, out of which sh12.36billion was warranted. Concerning revenue, they collected sh332million out of a targeted sh360milion.

MPs respond

Deputy Chairperson of the Budget Committee, Ignatius Womakuyu Mudiimi (Elgon county, NRM) attributed the lacuna to policy lapses.

Ignatius Womakuyu, Elgon county MP presents during the Public accounts committee meeting on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

At the time, parliament appropriated additional funds for purchase of CT-scans in the 2020/21 FY, he said the facility had not been elevated to a referral status.  As such, he said that the hospital was elevated without the requisite equipment and have to wait for the next turn.  

“In Financial Year 2020/21; Parliament appropriated additional money for CT-scan for those regional referral hospitals. So by that time Naguru was not part of the regional referral hospitals. Even in appropriation, they mentioned the names. So Doctor you could not feature on the list because even the names of hospitals and amount were indicated,” Mudiimi elaborated.  

“When we go to the ministry of public service that is the excuse they give us that they need that instrument that elevated you to a national referral so that we can give you that staff structure. Also, we have a very meagre budget because of that. The budget for Naguru is almost of a general hospital and yet the services and caliber of staff are for a referral hospital,” Tugaineyo concurred.

Ignatius Womakuyu, Elgon county MP during the Public accounts committee meeting on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

Xavier Kyooma (Ibanda North, NRM) observed that the Government should have equipped Naguru before elevating it to a referral hospital. According to Xavier Kyooma (Ibanda North, NRM) the committee needs to seriously take up this matter with the health ministry and sector committee chaired by Charles Ayume (Koboko Municipality, NRM).

Sarah Opendi, Tororo woman MP during the Public Accounts Committee meeting on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

(L-R): Gorett Namugga, Vice chairperson PAC, Naguru hospital director Emmanuel Tugaineyo and Olive Kakooza, Principal hospital administrator during a meeting on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

Equipment maintenance budget

Naguru Hospital has a capacity of 100 beds. However, on the flip side, they handle between 800-900 deliveries a month which left many lawmakers wondering where the mothers deliver from. Additionally, in their submissions to PAC, officials indicated that they have 22 incubators in their neonatal unit. Of these, eight are in proper condition while the rest are occasionally repaired.

To complicate matters, the hospital lacks a standard workshop and requisite resources for equipment maintenance.

“Ideally all referrals get a separate a medical equipment maintenance budget together with a fraction of some monies which cater for electrical and minor civil works but since we don’t have that separate budget for medical equipment maintenance, we use that little money which is usually seven to ten million a quarter,” a source intimated.

“We have access to the central equipment workshop, that is in Wabigalo. The one which is for the ministry of health…Though also the budget that is allocated to us is quite meagre. We were informed in the recent meeting that at the national level, we had sh28m to maintain the equipment,” Tugaineyo added.