Mulago hospital transfers patients during renovation

As renovation works at Mulago, Uganda's largest referral hospital gather pace, all cases under its directorate of medicine including diabetes, kidney disease and lung asthma complications, have temporarily been relocated (from the national referral hospital) to the Kiruddu facility in Makindye, a notice from the hospital read Thursday.

The new facility at Kiruddu will also handle all infectious disease cases and stomach complications including ulcers, intestinal breeding and the irritable bowel syndrome plus brain and nerve diseases.

It will diagnose and treat blood infections, heart diseases, hypertension, malaria, skin maladies plus sexually transmitted syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV and others and burns and carry out plastic surgeries.

Meanwhile, all surgical services, notably accidents and emergency, dental surgery, ear, nose and throat treatment and oral procedures will be conducted at Old Mulago. Eye, brain, bone and pediatric surgery plus cardio-thoracic and liver operations will also be conducted at Old Mulago.

Clinics under pediatrics and child health which have been at Old Mulago including infectious diseases, stomach and liver diseases plus diabetes neurology and the sickle cell clinic will remain at Old Mulago.

All cervical cancer related issues, delivery and antenatal services, infertility treatment, family planning and general gynaecology will continue to be offered at Mulago referral hospital until the facility at Kawempe is complete.

Services at the Kampala Capital City Authority hospital at Kiruddu started Monday with hundreds of patients moved from Mulago to the facility, albeit with ‘minimal' staff challenges.

Atleast 100 patients with kidney related complications are expected to be treated at the facility at Kiruddu after their relocation from Mulago.

Dr. Dan Kiggundu, who works with the Mulago Hospital renal unit, said the relocation would not affect service delivery because they had been provided with enough space at the new facility.

Dr. Charles Kabugo, a senior consultant at Mulago Hospital who is leading the medical team at Kiruddu, said a water treatment plant had been fixed at Kiruddu Hospital to run 20 dialysis machines.

Renal failure is most common in people who have had hypertension and diabetes for over 30 years. At this stage, dialysis is very critical to clean their system.

The commonest causes of kidney disease include HIV-related infections of the kidney and hypertension and diabetes. Swelling of legs and ankles, reduced amount of urine and shortness of breath and excessive drowsiness or fatigue and persistent nausea are some of the tell-tale symptoms of the disease.