Kiryandongo Hospital appeals for relatives as patients remain unattended

Kiryandongo, Uganda: Administrators at Kiryandongo General Hospital are stranded with three patients who have spent more than a week in the main ward without any relatives attending to them.

According to a report issued by the hospital’s medical social worker, Mr Gumengaine Yoweri, the patients were admitted on different dates but have since been abandoned by their families.

“Out of the three patients, two are unable to talk, while one, identified as Mr Onim Aldo, a resident of Kitina, Ranch II, can speak but says he visited the hospital for treatment of different illnesses,” Mr Yoweri noted in his statement posted on social media.

The social worker appealed to the public to be more responsible and compassionate toward their sick relatives, stressing that hospitals are not meant to replace family care. “Relatives should always provide moral and physical support to patients admitted. Leaving them unattended puts extra strain on medical staff,” he said.

Doctor Arrested with Stolen Government Drugs

In a separate incident at the same facility, a medical officer was arrested after being caught stealing government drugs.

According to a statement issued by Kiryandongo Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Mr. Akweteireho, the suspect was intercepted late Tuesday night by a security guard identified only as Nicko, while attempting to flee through the hospital gate with the stolen medicine.

The suspect, identified as Mr Orom Vincent, was found with 20 different types of government drugs, which he allegedly tried to smuggle out of the facility around midnight.

By press time, hospital administrators and police authorities had not yet issued an official statement on the matter.

The incident has sparked public concern over accountability and drug theft in public health facilities, with residents calling for tighter supervision of hospital staff.