A leading health officer in Western Uganda has said his district is failing to offer medical services to the community due to a lack of staff.
Dr Rwinkesha Rokesha, acting district health officer in Ntoroko, Western Uganda, admitted that only 39% of health department positions are occupied in the district. The area has only six operational health units serving a population of 80,000.
The doctor added that the district has enough drugs to treat demand but not enough medical doctors to issue medication to patients.
He said there is only one heath centre in the district, in Karugutu Sub County, that offers HIV counseling and testing services, making out it hard to reach more remote parts with these services.
Echoing this, Dr Godfrey Bagonza, the acting Ntoroko district health inspector, attributed the high mortality rate in the district to the lack of midwives.
