The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kitgum General Hospital management have renewed calls to the Health Ministry to elevate the facility to a Regional Referral Hospital.
They argue that for long the health facility has been offering health services beyond the level of a district Hospital with limited funding from government.
Bezy Omoya, the Senior Hospital Administrator says that they are currently overwhelmed with high numbers of patients seeking treatment at the facility.
Omoya says despite the high numbers of patients they continue receiving, Government has always been under funding the facility as a 100-bed capacity hospital yet they operate 234 beds.
Each quarter, the government remits 72 million shillings to Kitgum General Hospital for its operation.
Omoya, however, says the money is inadequate since the facility serves all the four districts of Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader, Agago and refugees from South Sudan.
He says elevating the facility to a Regional Referral Hospital will enable them get adequate funding, increase staffing and resources to provide proper health care.
Omoya says since 2006 when the Hospital authorities made their first demand for elevation of the facility, the ministry of health hasn’t responded yet other facilities have been overwhelmingly supported citing Iganga District.
He rallied the leaders in the region to back up the demand so that the facility is elevated.
The district health officer Dr Alex Olwedo says the district shares the same view on elevation of the health facility and notes that it is achievable through intervention of the Health Ministry.
Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health didn’t comment on the matter saying she was busy in a meeting.
Kitgum General Hospital built-in 1938 currently occupies about 13 hectares of land within the municipality.
Statistics from the Hospital indicates a total of 5,555 Outpatients and 1,576 in-patient admissions were registered in August alone
*****
URN
