Kiryandongo residents rely on weekly medical services over lack of health centre
She said the lack of a nearby health facility has forced some expectant mothers to give birth at home, putting their lives and those of their babies at risk.
Kiryandongo: Residents of Kichwabugingo Sub County in Kiryandongo District are appealing to the government to establish a health centre in the area, saying they currently receive government medical services only once a week.
The sub-county, which has 24 villages and a population of more than 35,000 people, does not have a government health facility.
Residents have instead established a community drug dispenser where health workers from Kiryandongo General Hospital provide medical services every Friday.
The concern was raised on Monday during a community health outreach at Hanga-Makweri Trading Centre organised by Kiryandongo District Woman MP Jovia Katusiime.
Edith Asiru, a resident of Hanga Village, said the weekly medical outreach is inadequate because residents fall sick every day and have to travel long distances to access healthcare.
“The health workers come every Friday, yet people fall sick every day. The health facility is also very far from our communities. We need the government to intervene and establish a health centre here,” Asiru said.
She said the lack of a nearby health facility has forced some expectant mothers to give birth at home, putting their lives and those of their babies at risk.
Swaibu Habasi, another resident, said although the area is densely populated, residents lack a government health facility and sometimes the medicines provided during the weekly outreach are insufficient.
“Sometimes the drugs are not enough to cater for all the patients. Many people are forced to buy medicines from private clinics, yet some cannot afford them,” Habasi said.
He appealed to the government to construct a health facility in the area to improve access to healthcare and save lives.
Health workers overwhelmed
Alex Kumaketch, the LC3 Chairperson of Kichwabugingo Sub County, acknowledged that the area lacks a government health facility, forcing residents to trek long distances to seek medical services.
Maxwell Omara Chaudry, a clinical officer at Kiryandongo General Hospital, said health workers are overwhelmed whenever they conduct the weekly outreach in Kichwabugingo.
“We receive a very big number of patients whenever we come here every Friday. We attend to between 200 and 300 patients during each outreach,” Omara said.
He said transport is also a major challenge, noting that health workers sometimes arrive late because of the distance between Kiryandongo General Hospital and Kichwabugingo.
District seeks government support
Asaba Kevin, the Kiryandongo District Secretary for Health, said the district is engaging the government and development partners to establish a health facility in Kichwabugingo.
“We are engaging different organisations and the government to see how Kichwabugingo Sub County can get a health facility. Kiryandongo is also a refugee-hosting district, which puts additional pressure on our health services,” Asaba said.
Anthlem Akugizibwe, the Kiryandongo District Chief Administrative Officer, said the district had already submitted a list of sub-counties without health centres to the relevant authorities.
He said the list had also been shared with the district Woman MP for follow-up.
Jovia Katusiime, the Kiryandongo District Woman MP, pledged to follow up the matter with the government to ensure that Kichwabugingo gets a health facility.
“I will follow up this matter so that Kichwabugingo Sub County gets a health facility. Access to healthcare is important, and we need to address the challenges affecting our people,” Katusiime said.
Kiryandongo Deputy Resident District Commissioner Jonathan Akweteireho commended residents for establishing the community initiative and urged them to focus on disease prevention, including sleeping under mosquito nets and drinking boiled water.
Representing Kibanda North MP Linos Ngompek, who was on official duty in Juba, Ms Kabayaga Jesca said the MP was aware of the challenges facing residents and would follow up the matter.
Two-week health outreach
The health outreach organised by MP Jovia Katusiime is scheduled to run for two weeks and end on September 24.
On Monday, the team conducted activities at Hanga-Makweri in the morning, Kichwabugingo Health Centre II in the afternoon and Kichwabugingo HC Women’s Point in the evening.
The team is scheduled to visit Mpumwe Health Centre II in the morning, Apodorwa Health Centre II in the afternoon and Kigumba Health Centre III later in the day.
By Innocent Atuganyira and Moses Tumusiime
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