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KABAROLE: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2021
The parliamentary committee on health has inspected health centers in the districts of Kabarole and Bundibugyo with an aim of assessing their status.
The MPs said they were interested on finding out how different projects in the respective health centers are being implemented, the staffing levels and how they are managing Covid-19.
The committee started off by visiting Kikyo health center IV in Bundibugyo district. The district has two health center IVs and it is here that the committee leant that the staffing levels at the facility are very low with only one doctor and one clinical officer attached to the facility.
The district hospital attends to between 90 to 100 patients on a daily basis and this, according to the health workers at the facility stretches them.
The committee also discovered that some of the machines brought at the facility to perform certain functions have been redundant for years.
For example, at the same facility, the anesthetic machine has been lying idle for three years because it lacks oxygen cylinders and electricity.
Staff absenteeism was also found to be high in these health facilities with health workers coming to the facility leisurely.
This forced the Kamwenge woman member of parliament, Sylivia Bahirira Tumwekwase, to task the in charge of Kikyo health center IV, Dr George Giziman to explain why staff absenteeism was unchecked.
Dr Giziman attributed the problem to inadequate staff accommodation and too much rain which affects the staff during the long distance travels.
At Bukuku health center IV in Kabarore district, the situation was not different either with staffing levels dire with only one doctor who is also the health centre administrator, and one clinical officer.
The facility has eight mid wives but only has accommodation for four of them which, the management says constraints their performance.
According to Dr Elisa Rutahirwa, the committee chairperson and Member of Parliament Rukungiri municipality, leaders in these districts can do more to improve the status of the health facilities in their respective areas by working together with the health workers.
The committee chairperson said they will write a report on the issues affecting these facilities and present it to parliament for action.
