The administration of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital and the city leadership claim they receive fewer medicines from the government than required for the number of patients they serve daily. Additionally, consignments often arrive late, leading to frequent drug stock outs at the hospital.
Patients that use the facility equally confirm that getting medication at Hoima hospital is a miracle. Most of the time they are tested and referred to pharmacies to go and buy but some people don't have money because the medicine is always expensive.
Established in 1935, Hoima regional referral hospital initially functioned as a district hospital before 1994 when it was upgraded to regional referral hospital status for the Bunyoro sub-region.
While it was created to serve Bunyoro, besides serving the ten districts including the city in Bunyoro, it also gets referrals from Kiboga, and Kyankwanzi
While the government estimated its catchment population to be approximately three million people, the hospital has since overtime seen an increase of patients that flock in daily including admissions as well as referrals.
Dr Ibrahim Bwaga notes that they receive patients in the out-patient department daily between 800 to 1,000 people, while admissions are between 250 to 300 patients daily which has increased congestion at the hospital.
"This facility was created with a bed capacity of 270, but look we receive admissions of 250 to 300 daily, no doubt we are left with no option but to allow some patients receive medication from the floor, and in the children ward three children receive treatment on one bed, this is bad but we have no option, sometimes the numbers go a little high and children are also admitted on the floor because we have limited space" Dr Bwaga said
Dr Bwaga also adds that they are challenged by the limited number of health workers compared to the patient ratio number.
"We are working under the new public service guidelines, and under that our staffing level is at 30% but we receive a lot of patients and these health workers get tired, but if we had full staff they would be working in shifts and be able to match the patient ration, but we are hopeful that we will get wage to recruit more staff so that we can offer the best health services expected of us" He added
While the number of patients increase every now and then, the medicine that they receive has never increased, with Dr Bwaga saying it is hard to reevaluate the number of patients then send the figures to the ministry for review noting a delay in getting medicines which affect service delivery.
"The patients we receive vary especially when it comes to referrals, sometimes we can get many referrals from Kagadi, Kiboga and other districts but the numbers keep changing from district to district it becomes hard to find a real figure to attach to the ministry, remember you must back up the request with clear figures according to the patients, but we the medicine we receive to last for two months only last utmost for three weeks, sometimes we even have a delay in getting medicines, this affects us, but I want to make it clear we don't sell medicine we give out drugs once it's over we tell patients that drugs are not available" Dr Bwaga clarified
Gerald Tumwesige, one of the patients, told the Nile post that they are always told to go and get medicines at the pharmacies.
"I have gone to Hoima referral hospital several times, I have never been lucky to get medicine there, I took my expectant mother who delivered and we expected to get drugs outside and this medicine was expensive and this experience I have heard a lot of patients, I want to advise patients who come to Hoima to always have some money with you" Tumwesige said
Badru Mugabi, the Hoima city resident commissioner, says while the numbers and population has increased, the government has not updated the patients' numbers.
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"It is true we have huge numbers coming to the hospital seeking medication and the problem is these hospitals capacity has not been updated, like the drugs they used to send 10 years ago is the same medicine they send now but the population has increased" Mugabi said
Mugabi also faults district hospitals and lower health facilities for not offering better services
"The challenge we have is the district hospitals and lower health facilities are not doing what they are supposed to do, but also the trust by patients is low, when they go there the health workers are absent and medicine is never given out and patients come to congest Hoima referral so the ministry need to reign on district hospitals to do what they are supposed to do" He added
Our attempt to speak to National medical stores on the delay of sending medication was futile as they were not responding to our calls.
