ADJUMANI, UGANDA: There is a ray of hope for the people in Adjumani district as the National Medical Stores the official Agency that supplies drugs and other medical supplies to the government has finally delivered another circle of drugs to Adjumani General Referral Hospital.
The consignment of drugs and other medical supplies only targeted Adjumani hospital with lower health units still experiencing an acute shortage of drugs.
The Adjumani District Health officer – DHO Dr.Drametu Dominic said the district received the last circle of drugs in June and since then most of the busy health facilities have been grappling with a shortage of drugs.
Dr. Drametu said in August government issued a circular informing all district local governments’ that the next circle of drugs will be delivered in December because the government is constrained with Covid-19 responses.
He said even then the hospital is overstretched with patients pouring from neighboring Southern Sudan, and districts of Obongi, Amuru, and Moyo.
The Adjumani hospital medical superintendent Dr. Ambaku Michael said the hospital received the drugs on September 28, 2021, which he notes is a big relief for the management.
Dr.Ambaku Michael attests that most of the essential drugs and other medical supplies especially sundries for the maternity ward have been included in the batch.
“In the last two months, expectant mothers had to source medical gloves, cotton wool, gauze, and surgical blades from private facilities while those who went through cesarean section were compelled to by switchers which is shs 10.000 per piece”.Dr.Ambaku lamented.
Several expectant mothers I have interfaced within the hospital said for one to report for admission you need a budget of not less than shs200.000 because without some of the medical consumables a midwife cannot touch on a mother.
While in the Out-Patients Department [OPD] the clinical officers were simply doing diagnosis and prescribing drugs for patients who would later buy from private drug shops and pharmacies in.
Adjumani hospital receives shs72m from the central government for procuring drugs which is expected to last eight months [2 months] this translates into shs 36m per month.
This budget however is initially to cater for the host population of about 220.000, and with the almost equal number of refugees’ population, the hospital has been dragged into experiencing frequent drugs stockouts.
The UN refugee Agency through Medical Teams International is funding health budget to supplement government effort but with the double disease burden, it is not sustainable.
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