Masindi Health workers lay down tools over lack of protective gear

MASINDI: Health workers at Masindi General Hospital have laid down their tools due to lack of Personal Protective Equipment-(PPE).

Most of the health workers who spoke to this website on condition of anonymity noted that all the PPE including face masks, gloves and sanitizers that were given to them got used up two weeks ago and they cannot continue to attend to patients especially those with COVID-19 cases without the protective gear.

“We are also human beings that need to be accorded appropriate protection like other Ugandans and therefore we demand safer working conditions and more personal protection equipment to help us fight the coronavirus pandemic and other diseases at Masindi Hospital. This working condition is not appropriate,” said one of the nurses.

This has left several Covid-19 patients stranded as those admitted into the Covid-19 wards over the weekend had not yet been attended to and were considering relocating to private health facilities.

Patrick Baguma, the Masindi District Health Officer says that he was not aware of the challenges being faced by the health workers and the patients at the hospital. He however promised to follow it up immediately.

Simon Baguma, the hospital administrator says they are currently handling the issues affecting the health workers and called for calm among the patients. He says the hospital management has engaged the health workers and everything is getting normalized.