MICHAEL N
Patients and local leaders at Itojo Hospital in Ntungamo District are crying out for government help over lack of electricity and water for the past nine days at the hospital facility.
These concerns were revealed today by patients receiving treatment at the hospital while speaking to our reporter.
The patients explained how they have been staying in darkness and struggling to get water by moving outside the hospital. They said that during the night the hospital is usually covered in darkness and most of the machines require electricity to operate. Furthermore, they said the standby generator at the hospital only runs for a few hours during the day while doctors are carrying out serious operations.
Jennifer Keneema and Docus Tayebwa, patients we found in the ward, revealed that they have been at the facility for the past four days and described how they have suffered due to the lack of water and electricity. Docus highlighted how they have reached the extent of taking their phones to Ntungamo town to get them charged, while their caretakers bring them water for bathing and washing clothes in the hospital.
Residents living around the hospital facility and in Itojo Town Council also revealed that the problem of electricity was caused by a transformer that broke down almost two weeks ago.
Madan Karindiriza, a resident of Itojo town, explained how businesses that require electricity, like welding and refrigeration, have not been operating, which has led to struggles. He said medicine in most government hospitals is now issued using computers; therefore, once the generator is switched off at 12 noon, patients have to wait until the following day.
Balaam Natumanya, a concerned resident of Itojo, also expressed dissatisfaction with UEDCL, which he said has failed to perform its duties. He cited that the water project in the hospital uses electricity to pump water to all the wards. He added that nurses and patients now move into the community to fetch water from springs and boreholes, where they often find long lines of residents, delaying their duties.
Mudasulu Tumwine, a trader in Itojo town, urged the concerned authorities to take swift action by either providing enough fuel to the hospital or working with UEDCL to provide a functioning transformer and replace the one that is not working.
Kafayo Mugisha, the LC1 chairperson of Itojo Trading Center, acknowledged that they have written to and reached out to different authorities seeking urgent attention to the matter, especially UEDCL, regarding the transformer problem. He said they were told it is very difficult to quickly provide another transformer within a short period of time. He further explained that the hospital’s generator consumes over 20 liters of fuel every two hours, making it difficult to sustain.
Speaking to Dr. Innocent Twesiime, the Medical Superintendent of Itojo Hospital, he said that as hospital management, they have already coordinated with authorities from UEDCL to provide another transformer and are working hard to provide fuel for the generator they currently have.
Efforts to speak with the District Manager of UEDCL were futile, as his known telephone numbers went unanswered by the time of writing this story.
