Obongi Health Centre IV, the main health facility in Obongi District, is grappling with the challenge of inadequate medical equipment, including the lack of an ultrasound scanner and an X-ray machine.
This equipment challenge is affecting both the local population and the 130,000 refugees from South Sudan who rely on the facility for medical services.
Currently, patients who require ultrasound scanner and X-ray services are referred to Itula Health Centre III in Itula Sub-county or to neighboring districts like Moyo, Adjumani, and Yumbe.
However, most patients complain about the high transport costs involved in traveling for these essential medical services.
Acting Obongi District Health Officer Dominic Lomurecu disclosed that the ultrasound at Obongi Health Centre IV has been rendered obsolete.
As a result, trauma and fracture cases, which require urgent X-ray imaging for proper treatment, are often referred to distant hospitals, delaying critical medical interventions.
"We now refer our patients who require ultrasound scanner and X-ray services to Itula Health Centre III or to the neighboring Moyo, Adjumani, and Yumbe districts," Lomurecu said.
Lomurecu added that the district authorities have formally notified the Ministry of Health about the missing basic healthcare equipment.
Residents in Obongi District revealed that the absence of these crucial diagnostic tools has left many patients, especially expectant mothers and accident victims, at a disadvantage.
Robina Juan, an expectant refugee living in Palorinya refugee settlement, expressed concern: "Some pregnant women are unable to undergo proper prenatal scans, increasing the risk of complications during childbirth."
Obongi District Chief Administrative Officer Otim Benson Humphrey acknowledged that the refugee influx has placed immense pressure on Obongi’s health infrastructure, yet funding and medical supplies remain inadequate.
"We shall keep on notifying the Ministry of Health about the urgent need to avail Obongi Health Centre IV with the missing equipment, which is vital to enhancing service delivery in the health sector," Otim said.
Health experts argue that equipping the health centre with an ultrasound scanner and an X-ray machine would significantly improve service delivery and reduce mortality rates among vulnerable groups.