Caretakers at Soroti Health Centre III are struggling to prepare meals for their sick relatives because the facility lacks a designated cooking shelter, forcing many to cook in the open, where they are exposed to rain and scorching sunshine.
For families already dealing with the stress of caring for a sick relative, the lack of a proper cooking space has become an additional burden. Some are forced to buy food from nearby restaurants every day, while others travel home to prepare meals, adding to the cost of treatment.
Josephine Ikwap, who has spent more than a week at the facility caring for a patient, says she has had to prepare meals in the open throughout her stay. “The challenge we have here is where to cook from. Most times, a patient needs specific food. When it rains, or the sunshine is too much, life becomes difficult for us as caretakers. When it rains, water covers the entire space meant for cooking, and some of us cannot even manage to prepare a meal for the patients,” Ikwap said.
She said buying ready-made food every day is expensive, especially for families who may spend several days at the health facility. “You may find that there are two caretakers and a patient. Buying ready-made food from restaurants for all those people becomes very expensive. If there were a kitchen, it would be much easier to prepare meals. Imagine needing to cook at night in a place that is so dark. You even fear for your security,” she said.
For Immaculate Nabwire, preparing food for a sick relative means finding an open space outside the facility and making do with the available conditions. She said the situation becomes particularly difficult during rainy weather, leaving caretakers struggling to prepare meals and, in some cases, patients going without food. “The arrangement has become very difficult when it rains, leaving caretakers struggling to prepare food and, in some cases, patients going without meals,” Nabwire said.
Salume Aigi faces similar challenges. She said she sometimes has to travel back home to prepare hot water and porridge for the patient she is caring for, before returning to the health facility. “The alternative of buying prepared food is expensive, particularly for families already struggling with the cost of caring for a sick relative. We suffer most when the weather changes. I have to incur transport costs to go home, cook, and then return to the patient,” Aigi said.
For these caretakers, the absence of a cooking shelter means having to worry about where the next meal will come from at a time when their attention should be focused on helping their loved ones recover. Dr. Yusuf Emiti, the in-charge of Soroti Health Centre III, acknowledged the challenge and said the facility’s management plans to construct a cooking shelter and a walkway to improve conditions for caretakers.
He explained that allowing caretakers to keep cooking utensils in the wards could attract rats, posing a risk to newborn babies and the facility’s equipment. “The challenge is that there is no place where they can cook or keep their utensils. If they are allowed to keep those utensils in the ward, they may attract rats, which we fear could cause damage to the newborn babies and the facility’s equipment,” Emiti said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
