Kiboga hospital relies on rain for water, PM intervenes

   
By Vision Reporter

Lack of safe water has affected services at Kiboga Hospital.

Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi made a surprise visit to Kiboga hospital over the weekend. The government health facility has been running without safe water for nearly two months.

The hospital authorities were hiring trucks to bring water in drums.  They were also relying on the rain amidst inadequate water harvesting facilities.

As a result cleanliness in the wards had been compromised and infection rates after surgical operations had increased.

Kiboga hospital receives over 40,000 patients from its catchment districts of Kibale, Mityana, Mubende, Kyankwanzi and Kiboga per year.

The water pump, about 1km away requires about sh30m replacing it, according to Acting Medical Superintendent Dr Michael Musitwa.  

He said they reported the problem to the Commissioner for Planning in the Ministry of Health, Dr Francis Runumi but got no response.

 “You do not seem to have given this issue the seriousness it deserves,” Mbabazi noted, blaming district officials for not informing higher authorities.  

“I am really disappointed, and it is amazing to imagine that we have a hospital running without water for a whole month!”  

He had wanted to close the district hospital but changed his mind when he was told measures to mitigate adverse effects of insufficient safe water including maternal and child deaths were in place.

The Minister of Health, Dr Christine Ondoa and the ministry Permanent Secretary, Dr Asuman Lukwago were aware of the problem, Mbabazi said after talking to her on phone.  He said President Yoweri Museveni had heard about it and asked him to intervene.

Mbabazi, who inspected the unprotected water source, said water shortage should be treated as an emergency, directing the Minister to take action and have the water running immediately.

He also called Victoria Pumps, the company that had assessed the damage, to know how long it could take to replace the pump.  

Mbabazi sent the district Chief Administrative Officer, Roselyn Lukoni who had received him at her office, immediately to Kampala and team up with Dr Ondoa.  She left as Mbabazi inspected the hospital wards, laboratories, operating theatre and treatment centres.

Dr Musitwa said the staffing level stood at 46%, requesting it to be increased to at least 60%.  He said the hospital had an unsettled electricity bill of sh115m, noting that the quarterly release of sh33m had been reduced to sh22m this quarter.  

e said there was no release for the fourth quarter of last year, putting pressure on allocations for this financial year.