Attendants outnumber patients at Soroti Hospital

Summary:

• Soroti Regional Referral Hospital faces overcrowding issues due to an excess of attendants compared to patients, leading to security concerns and operational challenges. Despite past attempts to regulate attendance, political pressure and practical needs drive attendants to stay.

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SOROTI, (Examiner) – Soroti Regional Referral Hospital management are concerned that there are more attendants compared to patients admitted in the wards.

According to the Principle Hospital Administrator, Benzy Omoya, each patient admitted in the wards has a minimum of four attendants who stay within and crowd the hospital.

Omoya says that the congestion in the hospital is affecting the smooth running and management of the hospital since the attendants consume more utilities than patients.

Omoya notes that overcrowding in the wards is one the factors causing insecurity especially theft in the wards. He says that cases of theft have increased lately, something affecting the smooth running and management in the hospital as the security personnel also dodge work.

Information in the Hospital indicates that there are about 300 beds in the wards, but there are more than 1,000 people who sleep in the wards every day.

In 2014, Soroti Regional Referral Hospital enforced a policy on one Patient- one attendant following congestion in the facility. However, the congestion returned after a few months. Another attempt to decongest the wards during COVID- 19 pandemic lasted a few months and the crowding continued as usual.

Omoya told our reporter that the medics managing the wards have failed to regulate the numbers in the wards over political pressure from some of the leaders within Soroti and Teso sub region.

But Jane Acen, an attendant in the maternity ward says that she came with her two other daughters to attend to her daughter- in- law in order to manage any eventualities. “When you come to this hospital alone with the patient, chances are high that you may also fall sick or die of hunger. You need somebody to cook and take care of the luggage; another person on standby in case the doctors want drugs which are not in stock within the hospital or follow- ups with the files. Nobody enjoys to live within the hospital,” added Acen.

In the night, some patients and their attendants spend nights in the corridors and verandahs due to limited space. However, some of the leaders in Teso argue that the hospital lacks capacity to accommodate the ever increasing number of patients that need attention.

Besides Teso sub region, Soroti Regional Referral Hospital also receives patients from the neighbouring districts in Karamoja, Lango and Sebei sub regions.