Hoima Hospital gets sh1.15b boost in decongestion drive
Hospital director Dr Ibrahim Bwanga recently said the facility is facing the challenge of inadequate space despite the increasing number of patients received daily.
The facility admits over 800 patients every day, but space is still a challenge. (Photos by Peter Abaanabasazi)
Peter Abaanabasazi
Journalist @New Vision
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The Government has allowed Hoima Regional Referral Hospital management to use shillings 1.15 billion meant for the establishment of a maternal and paediatric complex building to construct a general ward to decongest the hospital.
In August 2023, the Government contracted the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) to construct a sh1.15 billion maternal and paediatric complex to address the challenge of limited space at the facility.
The contractor was allowed to demolish all structures housing the maternity, gynaecology and paediatric wards to allow the construction of four-storey maternity and paediatric complexes.
However, a source at the hospital who preferred anonymity said that since 2023, the project has failed to take off due to limited funding.
The source said that the hospital has been left grappling with the congestion due to lack of space resulting from the demolition of the structures.
Because of the demolitions, the children’s ward was shifted to the former antenatal building, antenatal services were shifted to the Immunisation building and immunisation services are nowadays conducted on the veranda.
The labour ward was shifted to the accident and emergency ward (A&E) and A&E is squeezed out of the outpatient department (OPD).
Gynaecology is sharing with the Eye care unit; the neonatal ward was pushed to the maternal waiting home, and the maternal waiting home is squeezed at OPD and Maternal service shares with postnatal, according to a source.
"They would have left the old structures if they knew that there was no money to contract maternity and paediatric complexes, the structures were demolished and now we are suffering with congestion,” a source said.
Hospital director Dr Ibrahim Bwanga recently said the facility is facing the challenge of inadequate space despite the increasing number of patients received daily.
According to him, the facility admits over 800 patients every day, but space is still a challenge and this forces the medics to admit the patients on the floor.
He confirmed that the hospital had received funds to put up a general ward to address the challenge of congestion and they were looking for space where to put up the facility.
The Hoima Resident City Commissioner, Badru Mugabi says the construction of the complex building failed to kick off due to inadequate funding.
He noted that the project needs shillings 33 billion and the Government had only shillings 1.15 billion which could not complete the foundation.
He added that due to increasing concern about congestion at the facility, the government has okayed the hospital to use part of the shillings 1.15 billion to put up a general ward to decongest the hospital.
He noted that once the government gets the funds, the implementation of the maternal and paediatric complex building will kick off.