Mbale: Lockdown puts maternity health services in jeopardy

The lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 has become a double edged sword in some parts of the country.

In Mbale, the suspension of public transport has had devastating effects on access to maternal and child health.

In two incidents, mothers have delivered by the roadside in attempt to reach the health center while some people discharged from hospitals are struggling to return to their homes because there is no public transport.

Mbale RDC Sulaiman Ogajo Barasa said vehicles have been deployed at all lower health centers to address all emergency health cases.

He urged the community to use their nearest government health facilities as the first contact points for help.

Yet many health centres are incapacitated in terms of personnel and facilities.

For instance at Busiu Health Centre IV, an anemic child died because there were no adequate facilities and essential drugs to handle him.

A medical worker there told us that this was the second child dying under similar circumstances.

The father of the dead child revealed that he tried reach out to Makhonge Health Centre III, the nearest health facility but he was turned away without proper explanation.

He was left with no option but to trek miles to Busiu Health Centre IV.

Dr Maumbe Bernard,  the incharge of Busiu Health Center IV revealed that they are grappling with increased cases of children and pregnant mothers who show up in critical state.

Maumbe revealed that the facility has received a vehicle from the district to transport staff but there is no provision for fuel.

The facility lacks an ambulance to deal with emergencies.

At Budwale health Center III, on Wanale cliff, the situation was dire.

We were told that the facility has only one midwife who declined to work saying he was tired.

The facility was open but there were no workers attending on the patients.

All the patients who had trekked miles were told to wait until next week.

Mbale District Health Officer, Dr. Jonathan Wangisi, said the district is struggling to work out a mechanism of transporting health workers to their respective station.

He noted that their efforts are being bogged down by the iron hand of the security operatives.

The DHO revealed that they had mobilized two ambulances designated for pregnant mothers but this is a drop in an ocean.