🔊 Soroti Hospital crumbles under pressure from patient overload
The facility serves a population of 2.7 million people and receives up to 500 outpatients daily, a volume that is difficult to manage.
Built in 1941 with a bed capacity of 250 to 270, the facility now admits between 350 and 400 patients, far beyond what it was designed to handle. (Photo by Annet Anaro)
By Annet Anaro
Journalists @New Vision
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Soroti Regional Referral Hospital is in a state of despair, significantly hampering its ability to provide adequate medical services.
Built in 1941 with a bed capacity of 250 to 270, the facility now admits between 350 and 400 patients, far beyond what it was designed to handle.
Although Soroti Hospital was designated a regional referral facility in 1996, no new structures have since been constructed to accommodate the growing patient numbers.
Frank Eliku Mackey, a resident of Soroti city, says the facility urgently needs rehabilitation.
The hospital director, Dr Benedict Watmon, reveals that the hospital lacks an accident and emergency unit, making it difficult to attend to critically injured patients.
Watmon adds that the hospital has dilapidated infrastructure and has not received capital development funding for the past eight years.
“We spend years waiting for capital development funds, which has resulted in inadequate infrastructure, equipment, and staff—this directly affects service delivery,” he says.
The facility serves a population of 2.7 million people and receives up to 500 outpatients daily, a volume that is difficult to manage.
Jonathan Ebwalu, MP for Soroti City West, says Parliament has passed a resolution to construct a new hospital.
Dan Edepu Egoriait, president of the Soroti City Development Forum, says the facility should function as a referral hospital.
However, many locals prefer to bypass nearby health centres, which contributes to the overwhelming patient load.