About 35,000 residents of Kicwabugingo Sub-county in Kiryandongo District are living without a government health facility, forcing patients to rely on a weekly outreach clinic for medical services. The sub-county, which has 24 villages, currently relies on a community drug dispenser established by residents and local leaders, where health workers from Kiryandongo General Hospital provide treatment once a week, every Friday.
Residents and leaders say the arrangement is inadequate for a growing population that requires health services throughout the week and have appealed to the government to establish a Health Centre III in the area. Edith Esiru, a resident of Hanga Village, said the weekly outreach is overwhelmed by the number of patients seeking treatment.
“The health workers only come once in a week yet people fall sick every day. Even the drugs being given to us are not enough given the huge number of people in this area. We appeal to the government to establish a Health Centre III for us in order to enhance appropriate health service delivery,” Esiru said.
Margret Asiimwe, another resident, said the absence of a nearby health facility is particularly affecting expectant mothers. She said some women are being forced to deliver at home while others seek the services of traditional birth attendants.
Fred Chombe, a resident, said the area’s growing population has not been matched with investment in health infrastructure. He said medicines supplied during the weekly outreach are sometimes insufficient to meet demand and appealed to the government to establish a permanent health facility.
Kicwabugingo Sub-county LCIII Chairperson Alex Kumakech confirmed that the area has no government health facility. He said residents are forced to travel long distances to neighbouring sub-counties to access medical services.
Maxwell Omara, a clinical officer at Kiryandongo General Hospital, said health workers are often overwhelmed during the weekly outreach because of the large number of patients. According to Omara, between 200 and 300 patients are treated during a single outreach visit to Kicwabugingo.
Anslem Akugizibwe, the Kiryandongo Chief Administrative Officer, said the district is aware of the gap. He said the district has already submitted a list of sub-counties without government health facilities to the relevant authorities for consideration.
Kiryandongo District Woman Member of Parliament Jovia Katusiime said she would follow up the matter with government to ensure that Kicwabugingo gets a fully fledged health facility. Residents say establishing a Health Centre III would reduce the distance they travel for treatment, improve access to maternal health services and ease the pressure on the weekly outreach clinic-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
