Judith Nahurira Foundation Overwhelms Iganga Hospital Staff, Patients with Christmas Relief
Over 200 beneficiaries, both patients and staff, of Iganga General Hospital, Eastern Uganda, received a Christmas package and cash from the Judith Nahurira Foundation to celebrate Christmas.
Iganga General Hospital, a government hospital established in 1968 and servicing the biggest population of eastern Uganda, and seven districts—Luuka, Kaliro, Namutumba, Mayuge, Jinja, Bugiri, and Namayingo—find themselves grappling with a surge of 250 outpatients and 150 inpatients. Despite its limited staff, the facility strives to meet the healthcare needs of the community it serves
Muhamed Kiyemba, the hospital administrator, says over 150 patients and 50 staff members benefited from the generosity of the Judith Nahurira Foundation.
“This hospital started in 1968; it has only 100 beds but is overwhelmed because it receives over 250 outpatients daily and 150 inpatients. Though the government delivers drugs on two cycles, it is not enough to cater to all the people who turn up here,” he said
Kiyemba commended the Judith Nahurira Foundation for its timely interference, as the gesture will motivate his staff to work hard during the season shift.
According to Kiyemba, the hospital has a challenge with power inconsistency; he says that when the power goes off, they have a standby generator, but it is constrained due to limited funding.
“To our level, having to serve the population from seven districts, when power goes off, we need a standby generator. The generator needs 200 liters of fuel to operate, but we have limited funding for this cause,” he said.
The organization’s founder, Judith Nahurira, a businesswoman and philanthropist based in the UK and known as Boss Lady, claims that the appalling working conditions that Ugandan medical staff and patients endure inspired her to call on the government to enhance the services to make the nursing profession more appealing.
“Iganga General Hospital is not big enough to serve the entire region; we came to know about it after one of our friends did research and we decided to visit the hospital. Not many people in this hospital can access charity here,” she says. Nahurira commended the hospital’s staff for their commitment.
“They are short in staff but committed; the hospital looks good, but it is so overwhelmed,” she added.
Earlier, the foundation staff had gifted Christmas hampers to over 100 homes in Ndejje, Seguku, Mutungo, and Bongole on Entebbe Road in their campaign to give back to the community.
