By Johnson Kanyesige
Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga, the Director of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, has revealed that 57 women died during labour in the last financial year at the facility.
He was on Monday before the Parliament’s Health Committee together with other Accounting Officers from regional referral hospitals across the country to present Hoima Hospital’s 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper estimates.
Dr Bwaga noted that 45 of these women die within 30minutes after arriving at the hospital due to the long distances of about 100Kms to access maternal services. The facility serves communities from Bunyoro districts, Kiboga and Kyankwanzi as well as some parts of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“Of the 57 maternal deaths, 45 maternal deaths happened within 30minutes of arrival at the Hospital. These are the patients that move for more than 100Kms because doctors here you know, for a patient who has been operated 3 times, has be delivered by caesarian section, so what do you expect her to do when she is 100Km away from the district that hasn’t operationalized its theatre? So by the time they come, sometimes it is too late,” said Dr. Bwaga.
He also highlighted the challenge of congestion at the hospital adding that sometimes patients share a bed especially in pediatrics, adding that sometimes they are forced to have 3-4 babies on the same bed.
“Our theatre is like an airport, one plane is landing, and another one is taking off, with only two operation theatre tables- Dr. Bwaga, added.
He further revealed that some residents even reject advise to transport patients to Kampala for Intensive Care Services and instead wait inform the hospital of their readiness to organize for burials, instead of transporting the patients to Kampala
Dr. Bwaga Ibrahim, also raised issues like insufficient infrastructure funding, high utility costs, and lack of medicines among other issues.
Dr Joseph Ruyonga the parliamentary committee chairperson and a member of parliament for Hoima west division in Hoima city has recognized the urgent need to address the challenges. “As a committee we will try to advocate for increased funding and strategic solutions to improve healthcare services in all hospitals” he stated.
