Housing crisis chocks Atutur hospital in Kumi
May 11, 2008
TWO-ROOM houses meant for one family are being shared by two families at Atutur hospital in Kumi district.
By Daniel Edyegu
TWO-ROOM houses meant for one family are being shared by two families at Atutur hospital in Kumi district.
“Whereas the number of our medical staff has slowly expanded overtime, there has been no effort to address the accommodation problem. These houses were built in 1969,†the hospital administrator, Frederick Mallinga, said last week.
He added that the buildings were dilapidated and needed urgent renovation. The poor living conditions, Mallinga observed, had affected service delivery and made it difficult to attract and retain staff.
“Our health workers lack morale. They report to work late and do not serve to their full capacity.â€
The hospital chief noted that they had only one full-time doctor and the doctor-to-patient ratio was 1:400 “because we also serve neighbouring districts like Pallisa and Bukedea.â€
But the Kumi health officer, Dr. Felix Ochom, said they had recruited two more doctors and nurses for Atutur. He promised more staff houses would be built.
The new health workers, Ochom stated, would report for duty this week.
“We shall rent houses for them.
Of course, we understand this deters them from being on duty 24 hours as they will not be able to travel to the hospital at night .â€
TWO-ROOM houses meant for one family are being shared by two families at Atutur hospital in Kumi district.
“Whereas the number of our medical staff has slowly expanded overtime, there has been no effort to address the accommodation problem. These houses were built in 1969,†the hospital administrator, Frederick Mallinga, said last week.
He added that the buildings were dilapidated and needed urgent renovation. The poor living conditions, Mallinga observed, had affected service delivery and made it difficult to attract and retain staff.
“Our health workers lack morale. They report to work late and do not serve to their full capacity.â€
The hospital chief noted that they had only one full-time doctor and the doctor-to-patient ratio was 1:400 “because we also serve neighbouring districts like Pallisa and Bukedea.â€
But the Kumi health officer, Dr. Felix Ochom, said they had recruited two more doctors and nurses for Atutur. He promised more staff houses would be built.
The new health workers, Ochom stated, would report for duty this week.
“We shall rent houses for them.
Of course, we understand this deters them from being on duty 24 hours as they will not be able to travel to the hospital at night .â€