Olive Nigesa
Mulago National Hospital, Uganda’s largest and oldest healthcare facility, is facing a crisis of poor service delivery, leaving many patients stranded and frustrated. Despite being a government hospital that offers free assessment services, patients are being asked to buy equipment that is already available in the hospital, and doctors are only available to attend to patients in the morning.
According to patients, the hospital’s health workers leave the assessment center after lunchtime, asking patients to return the following day. This has raised questions about whether the hospital is being run for the benefit of the patients or the healthcare workers.
“I’ve seen patients collapse while waiting to be attended to because the doctors don’t seem to care about our time,” said Shamim Nalwanje, one of the patients. “The doctors are harsh and need money to work on you fast. Sometimes they operate based on their mood. We are badly off, and the Ministry of Health should wake up.”
When asked about the challenges faced by patients, one of the hospital’s protocol officers, who wished to remain anonymous, attributed the delays to the high patient turnout, which often exceeds the available testing equipment. “The patients are many, and we have limited equipment, which is why we ask the remaining patients to return the following day.”
However, Mulago Hospital Doctor, Niwamanyire, revealed that poor service delivery is largely due to work overload. “We have instances where two doctors are assigned a full ward with over 70 patients. This makes us tired, and we are left with no choice but to rest a little. Unfortunately, this is often misinterpreted by patients as us not wanting to attend to them.”
This issue is not new, and some members of parliament have previously raised concerns about the high charges imposed on patients in Mulago Hospital. In an interview with Nile Post newspaper, MP Muwanga Kivumbi questioned why patients were being asked to pay so much in a public hospital that receives taxpayer funding. “Why should patients be paying all this much in a public hospital that is given taxpayers’ money to run its activities?
Another MP, Ignatius Mudimi, suggested that the government should allocate more funds to the hospital to enable it to provide free services to patients. “With these charges, my voters in Bugisu cannot afford these services. I think it’s high time we consider allocating enough funds to this hospital such that people are given free services at this facility.”
The situation at Mulago Hospital highlights several critical issues that expose the hospital’s struggles with providing quality healthcare services. The hospital’s doctors and nurses are overwhelmed with a high patient load, leading to fatigue and burnout. This is evident in the statement by Dr. Naumannite Victor, who revealed that two doctors are often assigned to a full ward with over 70 patients.
