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Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Masaka Regional Referral Hospital is grappling with a huge staff shortage and unreliable power supply, problems that are greatly affecting service delivery.
Charles Tumushime, the Hospital Principal Administrator, decries that the facility is operating below its capacity due to chronic structural challenges that are bogging it down.
He observes that despite a substantial increase in the number of patients, the hospital staffing levels have remained static for a long time, which greatly affects the level of service delivery, including in key departments.
According to Tumushime, out of 1,217 required personnel as per the hospital’s staffing structure, it only has 267 staff, representing just 21 percent of the workforce available, who he says can hardly deliver services to the satisfaction of patients.
He indicated that consequently, the available limited staff are heavily overworked, which has a serious bearing on their efficiency levels. He reveals that the apparent shortage mainly affects the nursing unit, which is critical in the delivery of comprehensive healthcare at the hospital.
Besides the staff shortage, Tumushiime has also appealed to the government to connect the hospital to a dedicated power line, which guarantees them a reliable electricity supply required for smooth operations.
He explains in addition to abrupt disruptions of the key hospital operations, including medical surgeries and supply of medical oxygen, the recurrent power fluctuations also lead to damage to equipment.
According to him, the hospital cannot afford the cost of running generators given its current budgetary constraints, thereby appealing to the Ministry of Health to push the government to consider the facility for a more reliable power line.
Swaibuh Makumbi, the Chairperson of the Southern Regional Social Rights Association, who is passionate about the protection of patients’ rights, observes that they are considering directly petitioning the President, appealing to him to intervene in the predicaments of the Masaka Hospital.
“There are moments you go to the wards at night and find patients using candles and hand torches as the source of light. This should be in a referral hospital,” he says.
Ahamada Washaki, the Masaka Resident City Commissioner, has asked the hospital administration to furnish him with a formal petition detailing the challenges they face, saying it will give his office substantial mileage to engage the relevant authorities to provide solutions.
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