By Alex Ashaba
Patients in Kanara Sub-county, Ntoroko District, are stranded after health workers at Rwangara Health Centre III abandoned the facility following the floods that cut off the area last week. Ms Jese Katusiime, a nursing assistant at the facility, said many staff are absenting from work as floods have made it hard for them to access the health centre.Ms Katusiime said the facility which was elevated to health centre III and allocated 13 health workers, currently has only three health workers reporting for duty.“As a health facility we are supposed to have two midwives seconded by me. When they are not around, I stand in for them and most of the time I am alone here with these patients,” she said.Ms Katusiime who is also the acting officer in-charge of the health facility revealed that they are overwhelmed by the number of patients as they cannot make referrals since they have been cut off by floods.“We were upgraded to the level of health centre III but we still receive drugs of a health centre II. We lack some antibiotics to give to pregnant women and mothers especially those who give birth to babies with neonatal diseases,” she revealed. “The fact is we have many challenges. Even if I don’t mention them you can see for yourself. Floods have submerged our toilets, we fear we may soon have cholera outbreak.”Ms Katusiime said last month the health facility delivered 20 mothers and that seven have so far been delivered this month.However, the two midwives that were allocated to the health centre have since abandoned work as they are finding it hard to connect to the facility.The Rwangara Health Centre III management committee chairperson, Mr Francis Irumba, said: “I am very surprised today to see that there is one health worker (nursing assistant), I don’t know where others went.”The Kanara Sub-county chairperson, Mr Charles Isingoma, said the health workers only come to the facility if there is a government official visiting flood victims. “We are in a total dilemma because our patients don’t get services in time. Of the 13 health workers, only three report for work, which creates a big gap in service delivery,” Mr Isingoma said.He said recently a pregnant woman gave birth in a boat after being referred from the health facility.Mr Isingoma added that it is costly for the patients to access the facility as they have to pay for a canoe to cross the floods. Health conditions The Katanga North chairperson, Ms Rose Mwesige, said many people in the camps have no toilets as the whole area was submerged by floods.“We all use the toilet at Rwangara Health Centre III. One has to part with Shs800 to cross using the makeshift bridge and toilet,” Ms Mwesige revealed.Ms Sarah Mbabazi, an expectant mother in Kajwega camp, told Sunday Monitor that she spends Shs10,000 on transport to be able to access the health centre using a boat.The Ntoroko District chairperson, Mr Ben Muthahinga, said some health workers were no longer reporting to work as they have since shifted to distant areas after houses they were renting got submerged.“We are in a bad situation now some of these health workers had to shift to another area. They need about Shs20,000 for transport to be able to report to work,” Mr Muthahinga said.He, however, revealed that as a district, they are finalising the processes to remove some of the health equipment from the facility to safeguard it from being damaged by floods.InterventionRecently, the Red Cross general secretary, Mr Robert Kwesiga, handed over nonfood relief items to 1,400 displaced flood victims in Kanara Sub-county.These include blankets, tarpaulins, saucepans, mosquito nets and untensils among others.“I call upon government line ministries to relocate these people to safe places because it seems floods are here to stay longer. The problem is too big; we have just given them relief items to help them,” Mr Kwesiga said.ISSUETo access Rwangara Health Centre III, one has to use a boat to cross the floods. This has caused many health workers to abandon work as they find it hard and costly to access the facility. Ntoroko District has been affected by floods because of rising water levels in Lake Albert since last year.
