Hoima — MANY patients lives are at stake in Hoima District after the biggest health facility in Bunyoro Sub-region run out of blood supply.

The Hoima Hospital Administrator, Mr Loius Muhindo Ngobi, said the hospital has limited blood supply yet the number of patients in dire need of it is steadily increasing.

Hoima regional referral hospital serves the districts of Kiboga, Hoima, Kibaale, Masindi and Buliisa.

In the programmes of malaria control and immunisation, the facility extends services to the districts of Mubende and Mityana.

Mr Ngobi told Daily Monitor in an interview at his office last Tuesday that as a referral facility, the hospital serves a population of 2 million people.

The common illnesses registered are anaemia, malaria, pneumonia, trauma, TB, respiratory infections, Meningitis and HIV/Aids.

The most prevalent illness is malaria which mostly affects children under five years and mothers.

Mr Ngobi revealed that limited blood supplies have forced hospital authorities to refer most cases, which require blood transfusion to the national referral ,Hospital Mulago Hospital.

The situation at the hospital is worsened by the failure to have a blood bank to store adequate blood, which is needed by most patients who seek medical services at the facility.

"Even for the basic blood group, we have to obtain it from Nakasero Blood bank," Mr Ngobi said.

Limited blood is one of the several problems affecting the hospital. The facility requires better infrastructure, more funding and staff.

The hospital runs an annual budget of about Shs 1.69 million which authorities say.

"We have requested the Ministry of Health to help us and set up a blood bank here," Mr Ngobi said.

He said the bank will be used to store blood donated by the public. The hospital is also in close working relationship with Red Cross Society which among others, collects and donates blood to the hospital to manage some emergencies.

Mr Ngobi said the hospital has a joint programme with Mulago and Mbarara University which will improve the technical and medical supplies at the facility. He said the hospital has also reached out to donors who have agreed to partner with them to resolve the crisis.

He said JCRC is supporting the HIV section which will see the patients obtain ARVs, labotary testing kits and reagents and support to help the hospital to move in the field to obtain blood from donors.

The Hoima Cao, M. Walter Iriama, said his office has a report about the operations of the hospital and has realised " the gaps that require urgent filing ". He said various stakeholders have agreed to address the challenge together.