Health facilities urged to share supplies to address stockouts

Health facilities have been encouraged to share medicines and other medical supplies and embrace community sensitisation on disease prevention.

This after state minister for health Anifa Kawooya discovered that some health facilities were grappling with stockouts of supplies while others were relatively well stocked.

Kawoya said the facilities should check with others to establish if redistribution can be done during stockouts.

The problem was also attributed to irregular and delayed supplies of medicines by National Medical Stores (NMS). The minister noted that redistribution of supplies helps to contain the situation as NMS sorts itself out.

She urged medics on Tuesday, February 13, in Busia District, to go down in the community and sensitise the public on the prevention of diseases so as to save on the cost of treatment. The emphasis, she said, should be put on hygiene, sanitation and nutrition.

Kawoya who was accompanied by health ministry technical staff and officials from Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, was doing routine support supervision in Busia District.

The exercise was aimed at mainly interacting with the staff, district officials and partners in the health sector to assess the situation of health service delivery at the same time to see their performance and how to bridge the gaps.

The team established issues with the late delivery of drugs to health facilities, low staffing levels lacking what is required in terms of the patient-staff ratio due to wage and recruitment and concerns about transport among others.

“The most important thing is when we get out to be part and parcel of what is happening in these facilities we find ways of addressing them and the need to know why the challenges are there,” Kawoya said.

Dr Ronny Bahatungire, the commissioner of clinical services in the health ministry, said recruitment has started again noting gaps in human resources will be filled up and observed that despite the low staffing levels, the few staff are committed to work as cases of absenteeism are limited.

Dr Daniel Kyibayinze, the director of public health, noted they were encouraged by the staff’s positive attitude toward work and also appreciated the enormous support from the implementing partners.

On transport, the minister said the current policy is to have an ambulance at the constituency level but still not all have been covered noting over 400 ambulances have been given out.

Dr Kenneth Mugabe, an obstetrician and gynaecologist from Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, said most facilities in Busia had at least a doctor to manage mothers, functional theatres, and blood transfusion services for mothers, noting that Mbale Hospital always dispatches ambulances to pick mothers when informed in time.

Peter Nakeri, the district secretary for finance and administration, who represented the district chairperson, decried the delayed elevation of Bulumbi and Lumino health centre IIIs in Samia Bugwe North and Samia Bugwe South respectively, to health centre IVs, despite council approval five years ago.

Kawooya said there was no need to elevate health facilities when the existing ones are poorly equipped. There are health centre IIIs which have been upgraded but still operate the same way.