The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital (Buhinga hospital) is struggling to operate after running out of surgical masks.
According to the hospital director, Dr. Alex Adeko, the health facility ran out of masks at the beginning of this week due to their high demand by the health workers who are handling overwhelming numbers of patients from the nine districts in the Rwenzori region.
Dr. Adeko says the shortage has come at a time when they have so far admitted six COVID-19 patients that were picked from Kasese district. He is afraid that if they do not receive the masks as soon as possible, it could put the lives of the medics at a higher risk of contracting infections including COVID-19.
He adds that they have written to the National Medical Stores – NMS for more supplies but they are yet to receive a response.
Dr. Adeku attributes the raising number of coronavirus cases in the region to the laxity of community members who he says have abandoned the Standard Operating Procedures – SOPs at their places of work and the guidelines by Ministry of Health.
The hospital director says that as a way of preventing the possible spread of COVID-19, they have decongested the hospital by limiting the number of patient attendants where each patient is required to have only one attendant.
He adds that they have closed all the other gates with the exception of the main gate where screening of each visitor is mandatory.
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