Summary:
Dr. Deus Twesigye, Acting Director of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital revealed that the hospital is struggling to provide food for Monkeypox patients, leaving them to fend for themselves.
MBARARA: Authorities at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital have raised concerns over the increasing cases of Monkeypox, warning that patients are being mismanaged due to inadequate resources. The government has only provided gauze and iodine for treatment, while the hospital’s isolation unit is already full, forcing new patients to be admitted in tents.
The warning was issued by Dr. Deus Twesigye, Acting Director of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, while appearing before Parliament’s Health Committee today to discuss the hospital’s 2025/26 Ministerial Policy Statement.
He revealed that the hospital is struggling to provide food for Monkeypox patients, leaving them to fend for themselves.
“I feel we are mismanaging these patients, and the numbers are increasing. Unfortunately, we have only received gauze, iodine, and grafts from the National Medical Stores, but nothing beyond that. To make matters worse, we rely mostly on volunteers to care for these patients. We have only one doctor, with the rest being nurses,” Dr. Twesigye explained.
He further noted that the isolation unit, which has a bed capacity of 28, is already overwhelmed, with 29 patients admitted as of yesterday.
“We have started admitting patients under tents. Initially, we hoped the Ministry would intervene swiftly, but that has not happened. I don’t know how my colleagues in Entebbe are managing. At first, we tried to provide food for these patients, but we eventually failed, and now they are feeding themselves,” he added.
Dr. Twesigye also appealed to Parliament to elevate Mbarara Hospital’s status to match that of Mulago National Referral Hospital, citing the super-specialized services it provides.
He argued that categorizing Mbarara in the same bracket as other regional referral hospitals has limited its access to essential medical supplies from the National Medical Stores.
“So, perhaps one day, someone should consider renaming Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. If it cannot be designated a national referral hospital, it should at least be recognized as a ‘special regional referral hospital.’ When you visit, you will see that it offers services similar to those at the national referral hospital. Yet, due to our current status, we cannot access certain essential commodities,” Dr. Twesigye remarked.
