Kapchorwa hospital lacks doctors, transport, says health boss

Feb 16, 2009

HEALTH centres including the district referral hospital in Kapchorwa lack vehicles for outreach programmes, the district health officer, Dr. Rogers Masaba, has said.

By Rashid Muzungyo

HEALTH centres including the district referral hospital in Kapchorwa lack vehicles for outreach programmes, the district health officer, Dr. Rogers Masaba, has said.

Masaba said this had made it hard to attract more professionals to the district.

He also said it was hard to effect transfer of staff an effectively inspect health facilities.

Speaking at a belated end of year Kampchorwa hospital staff party at Pacific Hotel recently, Masaba urged the area MPs to establish a special fund to buy a scanner and an x-ray unit for the referral hospital.

He said currently, patients are referred to Mbale to hospital for scanning and x-ray. “We have very poor health infrastructure including housing,” said Masaba.

Kapchorwa hospital medical superintendent Dr. Martin Erieza said the hospital had only one doctor out of the recommended seven.

He said even the single doctor was doubles as an administrator.

Erieza said: “The hospital was established in 1964 to cater 50,000 people, the number has increased to 187,000. We need help.”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});