Kitgum hospital faces upgrade calls as newborn unit relies on one incubator

Civil society organisations and local leaders want the Ministry of Health to upgrade Kitgum General Hospital to regional referral status as rising patient numbers strain its services, leaving its newborn intensive care unit with just one working incubator.

The proposed upgrade would make the hospital a referral hub for Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader and Agago districts in the East Acholi sub-region.

Hospital authorities say the facility serves a population of more than one million people. It records about 65,000 outpatients and more than 20,000 inpatients annually. Patients also arrive from Karenga District in Karamoja and Palabek Refugee Settlement in Lamwo.

Joyce Alwoch, Kitgum District secretary for Health, Education and Social Services, said the hospital board recently resolved to seek regional referral status.

She said the facility struggles with inadequate infrastructure, limited equipment and a dilapidated mortuary. Medicines and supplies from National Medical Stores sometimes run out before the next delivery.

The pressure is severe in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which treats premature and critically ill newborns from across the region.

The unit has space for about 12 premature babies and three incubators. Two incubators have broken down, leaving health workers dependent on one.

Thomas Ojok, the senior hospital administrator, said the hospital can receive more than 40 premature babies in a day. Some arrive weighing just 500 grammes and need specialised equipment, constant monitoring and round-the-clock care.

The hospital established the unit in 2018 to address high newborn mortality. Officials said at the time that up to 70 per cent of premature babies admitted were dying.

Survival has since improved, but authorities say about 10 preterm babies still die each month.

Health workers use Kangaroo Mother Care, which involves prolonged skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her baby, to help bridge the gap in incubator capacity. However, the hospital has only one chair dedicated to the practice.

Staff shortages compound the problem. Some workers have reportedly volunteered at the facility for up to four years.

A hospital survey also found that a significant proportion of premature babies were born to adolescent mothers aged between 14 and 17.

Ventorino Otto, chairman of the Service Project Committee of the Rotary Club of Kitgum, called for greater community awareness about teenage pregnancy. He urged the government and other stakeholders to provide equipment, improve infrastructure and support health workers.

The district health department estimates that it needs Shs1.4 billion to recruit essential health workers across Kitgum’s health facilities.

Chua West County MP Simon Peter Oryem Adum backed the upgrade, saying the hospital’s status does not reflect the population it serves.

He said Pader, Agago and Lamwo lack government general hospitals, leaving patients dependent on Health Centre IVs before referral to Kitgum.

“This has contributed to the steady flow of referrals to Kitgum,” Adum said.

He pledged to raise the hospital’s challenges in Parliament and seek support from well-wishers for its newborn unit.

Hospital authorities have listed additional incubators, specialised neonatal equipment, more staff, better infrastructure and reliable medicine supplies as immediate needs.