What you need to know:
- Medics at Mbale hospital say blackouts are affecting the use of the CT scan machine and other equipment.
The lack of a standby generator is affecting the provision of computed tomography (CT) scan services, among others, at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.
The CT scan machine, which was installed by the Ministry of Health in December 2022, serves about 16 hospitals in the region.
However, due to power blackouts, patients said they wait for several hours to get services. They also have to pay between Shs120,000 and Shs150,000 for CT scan services.
Sources said the hospital handles at least 10 to 20 patients who need CT scan services, though the children and accident victims are exempted from paying for the services.
“We have been waiting since morning for power to come back so that we can get the services. I wonder why the government cannot buy a generator yet it can afford to buy expensive cars for some officials,” Mr Joel Wonekha, a patient, told Daily Monitor on Tuesday.
Ms Mary Nadunga, a caretaker of a patient at the hospital, said: “In many cases, doctors rely on the results from the CT scan to prescribe medications and also plan for surgeries but when there is a power shortage, everything comes to a standstill.”
Mr Gerald Wekoye, a patient, decried the cost of the CT scan services.
“Those who pay to receive the service are given immediate attention compared to those who have not paid and yet they are in a critical state,” he said.
Mr Hamza Wamono, the chairperson of the public accounts committee for Mbale District, said working on the assumption of availability of power in such a hospital is detrimental.
“Such services use unique medical equipment that require power to operate and loss of power could jeopardise patients’ wellbeing,” he said, adding that the hospital should acquire a generator to run the machines whenever there is a power blackout.
Mr Steven Masiga, the communication officer of Masaba Cultural Institution, said public services such as schools and hospitals should have access to stable power supply.
“Also, such public facilities like hospitals should provide services free of charge to the locals. ” he said.
Last November, the Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development, Mr Sidronius Opolot Okaasai, said Mbale hospital will get a direct and independent power line from the new power substation built at Mbale Industrial Park to address the unstable power supply.
“The hospital has been facing a big challenge of unreliable power supply but with the direct line to the hospital, after its completion, there will be no such issues anymore,” he said.
Dr Nelson Anguyo, the senior radiologist at Mbale hospital, said they need a standby generator and access to the internet to operate effectively.
“We have a challenge with the internet because now a person has to move from office to office to get information instead of getting the required information online, which makes work easier,” he said on Monday.
Dr Anguyo added: “For the issue of power, we have asked Umeme to help us so that we have stable power as we wait to have a generator.”
Dr Stephen Obbo, the director of Mbale hospital, said the CT scan services are not free of charge because of the high cost of maintaining the machine.
“We have to recover some money to keep maintaining the machine and to buy some consumables that are very expensive too. That’s why patients pay a moderate fee to keep the machine running,” he said.
