The horrors of doctors and medicine in Uganda

By Prof George W. Kanyeihamba
Posted Sunday, February 16 2014 at 02:00
IN SUMMARY
Several of the private clinics with great physical appearance and
astronomical reputation, lack the basic equipment and personnel to
perform efficiently or adequately what they so ably advertise to do
for sick persons.
There are occasions when the treatment of a patient is worse than the
disease. Sadly such occasions too frequently occur in Ugandan
hospitals and clinics.
When the NRM assumed the responsibility of governance in this country,
those of us who were ministers in it found many hospitals and clinical
centres in shambles.
In 1986, a patient who needed urgent and immediate treatment was taken
to Kabale Referral Hospital after failing to find any other medical
centre open in the whole municipality. He unsuccessfully looked for a
doctor at the hospital and as he was about to give up, in terrible
agony because of a piece of chicken was stuck in his throat, a worker
at the hospital whispered to him that the doctor on duty was in the
operating room. He was there alright. Unfortunately, he was dead
asleep on the theatre operating table, having drunk crude waragi in
the morning of that day.
By the time the NRM government was in charge, Kabale District leaders,
led by Ndugu Ruhakana Rugunda and this columnist, undertook to
renovate and modernise the hospital and dispensaries in the district.
The results of our efforts can still be seen today.
Buildings of hospitals and dispensaries in Uganda may have improved
but the nightmares ordinary patients encounter in these buildings are
very frightening both in private and public medical centres, perhaps
with exceptions of religious-based medical establishments at Nsambya,
Kibuli, Mengo and Rubaga. In the latter centres, patients are received
with love, care and genuine concern and medicines are real, free or,
at worst, cheap. Elsewhere, the story is horribly different.
Several of the so-called private and prestigious hospitals or clinics
in Kampala are grossly expensive, inefficient and poorly facilitated.
A distinguished scientist recently suffered a compound fracture and
was immediately driven to a well-known hospital for attention and
treatment. He was admitted and placed into an exorbitantly-priced bed
with all the luxuries for good living and comfort but little else for
medical treatment.
After he was informed that they were expecting a specialist, he lay
there sleepless and in great pain for two days while the hospital
waited for the specialist to arrive. In desperation, the scientist
sought advice and a worker at the hospital advised him to go to Mulago
hospital. He discharged himself and his friend drove him to Mulago
hospital where on arrival he was seen by a specialist and treated.
Several of the private clinics with great physical appearance and
astronomical reputation, lack the basic equipment and personnel to
perform efficiently or adequately what they so ably advertise to do
for sick persons.
Some of the horrors that occur in our famous referral hospital Mulago
are to be seen or experienced to be believed. Very sick and weak
out-patients are sometimes left or told to fend for themselves. One or
more of them may be advised to go to another floor or worse, building
and fetch forms to complete and sign before the mighty and rude nurses
or doctors reluctantly attend to them.
A patient in agony may be advised to learn from fellow patients who
bring with them envelopes and gifts wisely knowing that doctors and
nurses get hungry and cannot be sustained by their professionalism
alone. Consequently, a patient may arrive at a hospital by dawn and be
bypassed by latecomers who can handover envelopes and other
inducements.
The poor and the hopeless may have to wait until dusk before a tired,
rude and less caring nurse leads the same wretched patient to an
exhausted, overworked doctor who has been receiving outside telephone
calls that he is also wanted elsewhere all day.
Medicine is usually not available or what is available is
prohibitively expensive. Stories are told that the Uganda Medical
Stories have plenty of medicine. However, much of it mysteriously
disappears only to be found in private hospitals or clinics where
knowingly the nurses or doctors advise the patients to go and pay for
the same medicine and bring it back to the hospital or clinic where
they went in the first place.
In one such incident, the patient's relative was informed that the
essential drug needed to treat her mother would cost the sum of
Shs500,000 (yes, five hundred thousand shillings) and was only
available in a private hospital. She could not afford it. She did what
came natural to her. She screamed and waited about the imminent death
of her mother. Lo and behold: The very drug was found in the same
clinic and was administered to the mother without any charge. She
survived.
Ndugu Rugunda, people have heard you talk movingly about these
hospital problems and clinics. Presently, however, they are in such a
state of mismanagement, corruption and indifference that all our
lives, health and survival, including yours and those closest to you,
are in jeopardy. Government should walk the talk.
Prof Kanyeihamba is a retired Supreme Court judge. gwkany@yahoo.com
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