Serere district lucks medical ambulance
The Serere district health officer Dr Francis Odeke has decried over luck of transport (ambulance) in Serere district for the medical personnel and the public in general.
Odeke said that as being a district health officer, he has no vehicle provide by the government to monitor services in the district and incase he needs to carry out his duties in the night he has to borrow a car from a friend and fuel and move around the district.
Dr Odeke is now facing the biggest challenge of transport has a new District health officer of the newly created district of Serere because the government has not provided the district with any means of transport to help the local people especially the expectant mothers incase of any complications and need to be referred to Soroti referral hospital.
Most of the expectant mothers who get complications during birth and referred to soroti referral hospital in many cases use public means of transport which is not recommended for pregnant mothers.
He said that some of these cars at times move slowly and tend to stop in each and every center delaying the patient and only stop at the taxi park and a woman is forced to walk up to the hospital.
Dr Odeke also pointed out the issue of drug delays to reach the district and all the Health centers from the national medical stores and incase they supply the rate is too low (44%) for example Apapai health center IV in Serere district that serves a population of over 4000 people in the four sub counties of Bugondo, Pingire, Kadungulu and Labor.
Apapai health center IV also faces a problem of under staffing with a total of only 25 health workers instead of 48 medical personnel.
The health center offers out patients, family planning services, antenatal services general laboratory services, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling with a well equipped theater with out doctors to operate.
With over 4000 people getting medical services from Apapai health center IV, the health center encounters a problem of accommodation for both the medical staff and the patients where by there is limited accommodation mainly in the maternity and the children’s wards.
The health center registers about 27 cases of pregnancy in a week which is also a big challenge because of inadequate equipments and staffs to help the expectant mothers.
According to the senior medical officer and also the in charge of Apapai health Center IV Ambrose Okalayn, asked the government to intervene in order to help the needy especially the expectant mothers and the young children.
