Patients who turned up for treatment at Bulumbi Health Centre III on Wednesday were left stranded and helpless after a fire gutted the medical store, destroying drugs, medical records and other vital supplies.
For Vivian Penzi, the visit to the health centre was meant to ease years of back pain. Instead, she found health workers and residents watching helplessly as flames consumed the medical store.
Penzi said she was shocked to learn that the facility could no longer offer treatment and appealed to government to quickly intervene so patients can continue accessing medical services.
The situation was equally distressing for Prossy Namatovu, an HIV/AIDS patient who had gone to pick her routine ARVs from the facility.
Namatovu said she was devastated to find the medical store burning, yet the health centre has been the place where she regularly gets life-saving medication.
According to authorities, the fire broke out on Wednesday in a building housing the medical store, medical records section and computer laboratory at Bulumbi Health Centre III.
The blaze destroyed all the drugs and medical supplies stored inside, as well as patient records kept both in hard copy and on computers that were burnt in the fire.
The in-charge of the health facility, Lam Mayende, a senior clinical officer, said he was alerted by the facility cleaner about the fire outbreak before immediately contacting the police fire and rescue team.
Mayende, however, said the response was delayed after the police fire truck reportedly developed mechanical problems, and by the time firefighters arrived, much of the property had already been reduced to ashes.
He added that the Out Patient Department is currently unable to fully attend to patients because all the medicines were destroyed by the fire and smoke, forcing many residents to either buy drugs elsewhere or seek treatment from neighbouring health centres.
John Ouma, the chairperson of Bubolwa B Village where the health centre is located, said the incident has disrupted healthcare services for thousands of residents from Busia and neighbouring districts of Tororo District and Bugiri District who depend on the facility.
The chairperson of the Bulumbi Health Unit Management Committee, Raymond Owino, described the fire outbreak as a major setback to service delivery at the facility.
Owino said patients are now being advised to seek treatment from nearby health facilities as leaders wait for government engineers to assess the damaged structure and determine whether it can be renovated or a new building should be constructed.
Jessica Amuge, the officer in-charge of Fire and Rescue Services attached to Busia Central Police Station, confirmed the incident and said preliminary findings point to an electrical short circuit as the likely cause of the fire. She added that investigations into the incident are ongoing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
