- Summary:
- The Director of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga revealed that out of the 57 maternal deaths, 45 occurred within 30 minutes of arrival.
- Many patients travel over 100 kilometers for maternal services, often after undergoing multiple caesarean sections. By the time they reach us, it’s often too late to save them.
KAMPALA: The Director of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga, has informed Parliament that 57 women died during labor at the facility in a single year, with 45 of these deaths occurring within 30 minutes of their arrival.
He attributed the high mortality rate to the long distances expectant mothers must travel to access maternal services.
Dr. Bwaga shared this grim statistic while presenting the hospital’s proposals for the 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper before Parliament’s Health Committee on Tuesday.
Reflecting on the hospital’s performance during the 2023/24 financial year, he explained that many communities resist referrals to Kampala for specialized care, opting instead to bury their loved ones locally.
“Out of the 57 maternal deaths, 45 occurred within 30 minutes of arrival. Many patients travel over 100 kilometers for maternal services, often after undergoing multiple caesarean sections. By the time they reach us, it’s often too late to save them,” Dr. Bwaga said.
He welcomed the government’s initiative to establish an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Hoima Hospital, expressing hope that it would reduce maternal deaths and alleviate the burden on medical staff, who frequently face resistance from families unwilling to transfer patients to Kampala.
“Many families say, ‘Leave the patient here; we are ready to bury her.’ Convincing them to seek specialized care becomes difficult. The establishment of an ICU at Hoima offers hope for the Bunyoro region. The unit is not yet operational, but equipment is expected to arrive soon, paving the way for its commissioning,” he added.
Dr. Bwaga also highlighted the urgent need for a maternal and child health ward to address severe congestion, where three to five babies currently share a single bed.
“Our priority is constructing a maternal and child health complex that will house pediatrics, obstetrics, neonatal care, gynecology, and an operating theater. Right now, our operating theater functions like an airport, with one surgery concluding as another begins. This is managed with only two operational tables. Additionally, our mortuary capacity is inadequate, which is an embarrassment for a regional referral hospital,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Deus Twesigye, Director of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, raised concerns about the hospital’s soaring electricity bills, which he said are straining operations.
“Years ago, we received two small oxygen plants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an isolation unit with an oxygen plant was added. The new national program providing large oxygen plants has greatly increased our power consumption, pushing it to industrial levels,” Dr. Twesigye said.
He also highlighted the challenges of maintaining a newly installed CT scan machine that requires an uninterrupted power supply.
“The CT scan machine is delicate and must never lose power. It came with a 250KV generator, and every morning, our Principal Administrator checks it anxiously. It’s a costly machine, and we cannot afford for it to fail due to power outages,” he said.
To cope with the high utility bills, Dr. Twesigye revealed that the hospital frequently petitions the government for financial support, though he admitted this is unsustainable.
“We operate eight large generators that need daily refueling, making maintenance a financial burden,” he said.
Dr. Twesigye also called for improvements in physical and ICT infrastructure at Mbarara Hospital, which was constructed in 1952 and is now in a state of disrepair.
“Our infrastructure is outdated. Repairs often fail because of corroded pipes and obsolete systems. Additionally, we lack an efficient electronic medical records system because the service provider failed to consider the hospital’s structural limitations,” he concluded.
