Members of Parliament in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) were shocked to learn that Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital doesn’t have a single delivery bed. Officials from the hospital, led by Dr. John Bosco Nsubuga, the Acting Director, and Richard Tumwesigye, the Senior Hospital Administrator, appeared before the committee on Tuesday, 28 May 2024 to address issues raised in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year ended 30 June 2023.
During the meeting, the committee members, including Deputy Chairperson Hon. Gorreth Namugga, expressed their astonishment at the revelation by the Auditor General that a hospital in an urban area of the country was without a delivery bed for mothers and had only two incubators for premature babies.
The Auditor General’s report highlighted that the maternity ward at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital operates without delivery beds, and the surgical recovery bed is being improvised to accommodate an average of 20 births per day. The report also noted that despite the maternity wing delivering an average of 650 women each month, equivalent to 4,287 deliveries per year, the hospital is severely underfunded with an inadequate budget of approximately Shs200 million. This amount is insufficient to procure new or additional medical equipment, let alone for repairs.
Hon. Gorreth Namugga expressed concern about how mothers were delivering without proper facilities and questioned the failure of women working in the facility to influence policy and ensure that the hospital had a delivery bed. She also raised the issue of mortality rates at the hospital being influenced by the lack of delivery beds.
Furthermore, Ibanda North Constituency Hon. Xavier Kyooma, a Member of Parliament, emphasized that while the Government procures the beds, it is the responsibility of the hospital to demonstrate the need for them. He urged the hospital leadership to provide evidence of their efforts in contacting the Ministry of Health regarding the need for delivery beds.
In response, the hospital administrator, Tumwesigye, explained that due to the facility’s use as a COVID-19 treatment center, extensive use of chemicals for sanitization resulted in the corrosion of many pieces of equipment, including delivery beds. Consequently, they were removed, and due to budget constraints, they have been unable to replace them. Tumwesigye expressed hope for securing funds to procure new delivery beds.
When asked about the cost of the beds, the hospital Director, Nsubuga, stated that they range from Shs1.2 million to 3.8 million. This prompted some legislators to question why a fundraiser hasn’t been organized, particularly in the event of delays from the ministry.
Nsubuga also mentioned that they have been in contact with the Ministries of Health and Finance, as well as other stakeholders such as the Rotary Club of Entebbe and Save the Children, seeking assistance in areas like theater and maternal child health intervention. He informed the committee that for the next financial year, they have requested funds to purchase at least 12 delivery beds.
The committee also highlighted the issue of having only two incubators, which according to the Auditor General, has impacted the quality of healthcare delivery and poses a risk of contributing to child mortality. The report noted that with 4,287 annual deliveries, the hospital’s two incubators are insufficient, leading to babies in critical conditions often sharing incubators, contrary to the standard specifications provided by the manufacturers.
