Bududa, Uganda | URN | Bulucheke Health Centre IV in Bududa District is struggling to accommodate the increasing number of mothers seeking maternity services, with some women sharing beds while others sleep on the floor.
The health centre has only six maternity beds but now receives between six and 10 maternity admissions a day, according to the facility in-charge, Dr Rashid Simuya.
Simuya says the increase has put pressure on the maternity ward and other services at the facility.“The number of mothers coming for maternity services has increased, yet we have only six beds,” Simuya said.
He said the facility previously received between two and three maternity admissions a day, while antenatal clinic attendance has increased from about two to five mothers a day to between 20 and 30.
Outpatient attendance has also risen from between 20 and 50 patients a day to more than 100. The increase has left some mothers without adequate space to rest before and after delivery.
Eveline Nasikye, a resident of Busiriwa Sub-county, said health workers provide good care, but the shortage of beds is making it difficult for mothers to remain at the facility after delivery.
“The health workers provide good services, but the challenge comes when it is time to sleep. There are not enough beds and space,” Nasikye said.
She said mothers are expected to rest for several hours after delivery, but the limited space makes this difficult. She appealed to the government to expand the facility.
Another mother from Kikhoolo Town Council, who accompanied her daughter to the health centre, said they arrived at about 1 pm and her daughter delivered later that night. She said all the beds were occupied and there was no space even to place a mattress on the floor.
She appealed to the Ministry of Health to expand the maternity ward and provide additional accommodation.
James Wanuba, who accompanied his wife from Buwali, said they travelled to the facility in the rain and arrived at about 10 pm. He said health workers attended to his wife until she delivered, but the lack of space remains a major problem.
“The health workers have love for their work, but space and beds are a big challenge,” Wanuba said.
The pressure at Bulucheke follows the upgrade of the facility from a health centre III to a health centre IV, which was intended to bring higher-level health services closer to communities and reduce pressure on Bududa Hospital. The upgrade has also attracted more patients to the facility.
The health centre now serves patients from more than 10 sub-counties and attends to more than 50,000 people annually, according to facility estimates.
The facility’s history is linked to the relocation of communities affected by the Bududa mudslides. Health services were initially transferred from Nemetsi to Bulucheke to serve people who had been displaced by the landslides.
Bulucheke was initially established as a lower-level health facility before being upgraded to a health centre III and later to a health centre IV. The Health Unit Management Committee has started using part of the available primary healthcare funds to put up a temporary structure to ease the pressure.
Zipora Wamoto, the committee chairperson, said the temporary intervention is intended to provide immediate relief as the district seeks a permanent solution.
“It is not the responsibility of the management committee to construct health facilities, but we had to respond to the need because the situation required immediate action,” Wamoto said. She called on the government to expedite the construction of permanent facilities.
Bududa Chief Administrative Officer Max Martin Mukula said the district is aware of the shortage and has started interventions.
Mukula said the district’s immediate plan is to fence the facility before constructing an additional ward. “The concerns raised by the patients are genuine. As a district, we shall gradually address these challenges,” Mukula said. The district says the expansion is necessary to match the increased demand for services at the health centre.
Bulucheke’s current challenge comes as Bududa continues to grapple with pressure on health facilities. A district health dialogue held at Bulucheke in July also brought concerns about health service delivery to the attention of district authorities and health officials.
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