Published on 20/06/2024
In response to an urgent appeal by Gorreth Namugga, the Mawogola South Constituency MP, the Ministry of Health is taking immediate action to address the lack of delivery beds at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital.
Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, confirmed plans to procure five new delivery beds for the hospital, which currently has none, forcing mothers to give birth on the floor. This intervention follows Namugga’s request to personally fund a bed for the hospital.
Dr. Atwine acknowledged in her letter dated June 12, 2024, that this issue is not isolated to Entebbe Hospital but affects other facilities as well. The Ministry had already signed a contract on May 30, 2023, to procure medical equipment, including delivery beds, for several hospitals facing similar shortages. She assured that the new beds would be delivered to Entebbe Hospital soon.
Namugga’s initial request highlighted the dire situation during a Committee meeting on May 28, 2024. The Public Accounts Committee learned that Entebbe Hospital, operating without a single delivery bed, was improvising with a surgical recovery bed to deliver an average of 20 children daily. This shortfall is particularly alarming given that a referral hospital should have at least four delivery beds. Namugga emphasized the importance of addressing this issue to improve maternal and child health and reduce mortality rates.
Dr. Atwine also urged Namugga to support efforts to secure a higher budget for Entebbe Hospital, which has been underfunded since its upgrade to a regional referral hospital in 2018/19. The hospital currently receives the budget of a general hospital and operates with only 15.5% of the required staff, exacerbating its operational challenges.
Namugga appreciated Dr. Atwine’s prompt response and requested information on other upgraded health facilities that still lack adequate budgets and staffing. She stressed that improving Uganda’s healthcare system is crucial for the nation’s well-being, stating, “A nation can only be deemed good if it has healthy people.”
In a subsequent meeting in May 2024, MPs also raised concerns about space shortages at Entebbe Hospital, where expired medicines were being stored alongside active medicines, highlighting the pressing need for better infrastructure and resources.
