Expectant Mothers, Male Patients Share Ward at Butuntumula Health Center
The health center which caters for more than 38,000 residents
has only one ward and six beds which are used for admission of expectant
mothers in delivery and other patients including males and children
with various health conditions
Expectant Mothers and male patients are sharing one small ward at
Butuntumula Heath Center 111 raising issues of breach of privacy at
delivery.
The in charge of Butuntumula Health Center Harriet Nanyanzi says the health center which caters for more than 38,000 residents has only one ward and six beds which are used for admission of expectant mothers in delivery and other patients including males and children with various health conditions.
Nanyanzi says that due to lack of privacy in the ward, the number of mothers delivering from the center has dwindled as women now prefer private health units where they feel secure and privacy is respected.
Nanyanzi adds that the Health Center receives 875,000 shillings per quarter from Central government which is too little to cater for daily health service demands, operation costs and expansion or constructing new wards.
She adds that as a result of the situation, some patients now demand that they are given drips and other drugs to conduct self medication in their homes.
Sarah Namuyanja, the district councilor for Butuntumula Sub County says that the women are insecure in the ward because they believe some men may hide under pretext of sickness and they are admitted with intention of raping them.
Namuyanja says that the few women who still visit the health center do so because they are too poor to afford private health costs in distant private health centers.
Sunday Richard Ale, the Luweero district focal person for Forum for Women in Democracy says that a survey conducted by the organization found that people with contagious diseases like tuberculosis are also admitted in the same ward leading patients to contract more diseases from the health center.
Ale adds that they also found out three of six mattresses in the ward had no waterproof covers which made cleaning difficult and are more likely to spread parasites like bedbugs due to poor sanitation. Ale says that the bathrooms and toilets lacked doors which also compromised the privacy of patients and called for an overhaul of the entire unit.
Recently Female patients at Luweero Health IV also revealed that they were being concerned for sharing a general ward with male patients. Administrators blamed this on lack of beds and funds.
Efforts to get a comment from Luweero District Health Officer Doctor Joseph Okware were unfruitful. He couldn’t pick or return URN Reporter calls on Monday.
The in charge of Butuntumula Health Center Harriet Nanyanzi says the health center which caters for more than 38,000 residents has only one ward and six beds which are used for admission of expectant mothers in delivery and other patients including males and children with various health conditions.
Nanyanzi says that due to lack of privacy in the ward, the number of mothers delivering from the center has dwindled as women now prefer private health units where they feel secure and privacy is respected.
Nanyanzi adds that the Health Center receives 875,000 shillings per quarter from Central government which is too little to cater for daily health service demands, operation costs and expansion or constructing new wards.
She adds that as a result of the situation, some patients now demand that they are given drips and other drugs to conduct self medication in their homes.
Sarah Namuyanja, the district councilor for Butuntumula Sub County says that the women are insecure in the ward because they believe some men may hide under pretext of sickness and they are admitted with intention of raping them.
Namuyanja says that the few women who still visit the health center do so because they are too poor to afford private health costs in distant private health centers.
Sunday Richard Ale, the Luweero district focal person for Forum for Women in Democracy says that a survey conducted by the organization found that people with contagious diseases like tuberculosis are also admitted in the same ward leading patients to contract more diseases from the health center.
Ale adds that they also found out three of six mattresses in the ward had no waterproof covers which made cleaning difficult and are more likely to spread parasites like bedbugs due to poor sanitation. Ale says that the bathrooms and toilets lacked doors which also compromised the privacy of patients and called for an overhaul of the entire unit.
Recently Female patients at Luweero Health IV also revealed that they were being concerned for sharing a general ward with male patients. Administrators blamed this on lack of beds and funds.
Efforts to get a comment from Luweero District Health Officer Doctor Joseph Okware were unfruitful. He couldn’t pick or return URN Reporter calls on Monday.
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