Covid-19 patient decries dire situation at Masaka hospital, tasks Museveni to intervene

Mary Aliona, a Covid-19 patient that is currently admitted at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, has decried the dire situation at the hospital and asked President Yoweri Museveni to intervene.

Aliona who was admitted at the hospital last week alleged in a video that has since went viral on social media that while she was diagnosed as an asymptomatic patient of COVID-19, the situation at the facility is life-threatening.

She said, “We rarely see doctors. Doctors get here once a day to drop a medication that has no name. As for me, the doctor didn’t even explain what kind of medication this is.”

“Where is all the food that the Ministry of Health gets in donations? We eat very little food and a glass of water,” she added.

According to the video, the young and old are reportedly admitted in the same ward, which the patients say puts the lives of the young ones at risk.

She addresses the issue of hygiene. “We are human beings, not animals. Some animals sleep in better conditions than us at the moment,” Ariona said.

While filming the toilets at the facility, she added, “We are in pain. Look at the toilets that Ugandans are using. They have no running water. Just drops.”

Ariona called upon President Museveni to quickly intervene in the situation since the Ministry doesn’t seem to prioritize their situation. She warned that if Ugandans at the facility die of other infections due to hygiene and poor feeding other than Covid-19, government will be sued.

Ministry of Health responds

In a statement accessed by the Nile Post, the Ministry of Health confirmed that Ariona was indeed admitted at the hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 at the Mutukula border point while trying to cross to Tanzania.

“Preliminary epidemiological reports indicate that the patient was trying to travel to South Korea through Tanzania. Unfortunately, this did not happen after her sample confirmed for Covid-19,” the ministry said.

The ministry said that the patient had exaggerated the situation because the ward in question was a temporary improvisation as the hospital is widening its bed capacity and all patients will be transferred to a better facility once the renovations are done.

“The structure captured in the patients video was used as an emergency measure as the hospital expands its bed capacity to over 50 to accommodate more patients. The ward has a functional electrical and water system, contrary to what the patient alleges,” the ministry added.

Minister for Information and Communication Technology Judith Nabakooba, while talking to the press, called for calm as Covid-19 was an emergency. She tasked the RDC of Masaka to follow up on the situation at the hospital.

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