NEWS EDITOR
BUDAKA angry residents had to go for a demonstration for their voice to be be heard, after the district got stranded with a patient with advanced signs of Covid-19 who was allegedly neglected by medics.
According to the district authorities, this lady who has been working as a maid traveled fourteen days ago from Nairobi and freely lived in Lyama sub county with family members until her condition began to deteroriate.
“On arrival to Budaka health center 4 with advanced Covid-19 symptoms, she was sent to the isolation center in Nansanga health center 3. Communication was sent to the Mbale regional regional referral hospital who kept on telling us stories.” said a top district official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He told us, “They kept on changing from we are coming then we don’t have protective gear, then we shall come tomorrow and our team is on the way but all was in vain. In the meantime, the Nansanga community were getting agitated and grouping up to kill the the patient.”
It was not until Budaka district leaders intervened and comumicated to authorities in Kampala who advised them to use the district pick up and take her the patient to Mbale Hospital.
However on arrival at the Hospital, they were bounced on grounds that the Regional hospital lacked protective gear to handle any Covid-19 patient.
“Left with no option, the patient was driven back to Budaka health center 4 where we quickly organised an isolation room since we could not take her back to Nansanga lest she faces mob tyranny yet Budaka has no protective gear.” Said district official.
Residents are living in fear saying Mbale regional hospital is far from ready to face or receive or tackle Covid-19.
“This is real disaster if a regional referral hospital can turn back a patient to a health center 3. We even wonder what will happen should the country be faced with a full blown outbreak.” Said residents.
