The Mulago Specialized Women and Neonatal hospital is likely to become a white elephant due to under utilization. Members of parliament led by the leader of opposition Betty Aol Ochan has today been told that the facility which is meant to admit 450 in-patients has only admitted 269 since its commissioning over four months ago
The leader of opposition in parliament Betty Aol Ochan in company with the some other MPs have paid a fact finding mission to Mulago national Specialized hospital and Uganda Heart Institute to establish the value for money that have been invested in these health facilities.
The delegation was however shocked to find out that the specialized women hospital which commissioned in October last year with 450 beds has been under utilized to the extent that it has only admitted 269 patients where only 28 were referral cases yet government invested chunks of borrowed money. Legislators attributed the shortfall to huge fares charged from patients to receive to get treatment from this facility that has scared away patients
But the in-charge of Mulago Specialized Women hospital Dr Evelyn Nabunnya told legislators that the facility is still struggling with lack of awareness in public on the services s offered yet many Ugandans still have the mentality of free services. She added that the facility itself is so wanting especially interns of staffing where it stands at a funding gap of 51% and lack of medical supplies.
Members of parliament were also concerned with the way public facilities are phasing out at the national referral hospital and tasked Mulago bosses to explain what they are doing to see that poor people can also access referral services at the national facility. They wondered why government invest a lot of money in health facilities to benefit few individuals.
However The director of Mulago Hospital Dr Byarugaba Baterana told legislators that there is a waiver which is given to poor patients only if their on referral cases and emphasized that on all referral cases they have dealt with 3% got services at free cost. He added that several medical camps are routinely organised at the facility where low income earners can access specialized treatment
The delegation also toured the Uganda Heart Institute and established lack of space and congestion in the facility due to ongoing constructions at the facility.
