*Sahring this article from Daily Monitor* * *
* * *Hospital Lacks Space As New Ward Stays Idle* Felix Warom Okello and Tabu Butagira 17 December 2011 Patients in Arua Hospital's male ward are reportedly huddling in between and under beds, choking for fresh air. To find a bed, patients are forced into a tough bargain with medical personnel. But, even then, they have to share the bed, with one patient lying legs facing the other's head. These are patients suffering from different illnesses, some communicable. The hospital officials say they would prefer to keep the patients on separate beds but they have no option because the plight of patients in the male ward is no different from that of the crowded pediatric ward, part of which has been carved to accommodate the female ward. Patients receiving medication through Intravenous Fluids (IV) sit still on the floor, holding their medication because they have no where to strap it. "The situation is pathetic," Dr Bernard Odu, the hospital director, said. Arua Hospital was established by the colonialists in 1939 before being expanded to a 372-bed capacity facility by the post-independence governments, elevating it to the level of a regional referral hospital. The original ward facility was condemned by engineers several years ago as inhabitable, but the new storied structure that was later built as a replacement has created controversy instead of relief. Plans to construct a shallow pool for sewage treatment did not kick off and to date, the hospital manages its effluents on-site using soak pits, which often fill up, forcing waste down River Osu, which is the main water source for Bibia slum. This notwithstanding, three residents of Anyafiyo suburb, who were unhappy the foul smell from the lagoon would suffocate them and also cause loss to their business, went to court and secured an injunction to stop its construction. This has in turn stalled the opening of the new Shs3 billion ward, fitted with state-of-the-art equipment. It has also emerged that the National Environment Management Authority cleared the lagoon project a week ago but resumption of its construction cannot be effected because hearing of the case, already adjourned several times, has been pushed to February next year. This means the storied structure which was completed in June last year will spend a few more months unutilised, wasting away, while in-patients continue to suffer. This condition has left able patients seeking treatment at the few private health facilities in the town, but the poor find themselves in double jeopardy in the crowded wards. "I cannot have my child share a bed with another person because he may contract a disease," Ms Grace Angutoko said. *Multiplied infections* A senior doctor, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the hospital, said tuberculosis cases have increased due to cross-infection in the packed wards. "There are so many patients and you don't know whom to help first. Even passing through them is a problem," the doctor said. The Ministry of Health through Parliament, allocates finances based on bed capacity of the health facilities and its catchment population. The country does not budget for non-citizens, who, according to hospital officials, constitute about 20 per cent of patients from DR Congo and South Sudan. Mr Odu asked MPs to contrive other benchmarks for resource allocation to health units otherwise Arua will remain disadvantaged and overwhelmed. This compromises quality of health care delivery and safety of health workers, experts say. This newspaper has been told that the Japanese government that offered to erect new Out-Patients', Casualty and Maternity wards complete with lagoon system has asked hospital administrators to quickly resolve the current impasse or they relocate the proposed project to another needy region
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