The health facility that serves a population of 20,074, currently has only 36 health workers and support staff which is below the standard staff ceiling by the Ministry of Health which is 48.
Atiak Health
Center IV in Amuru District is grappling with understaffing and inadequate
space to admit patients.
The health facility that serves a population of 20,074, currently has only 36
health workers and support staff which is below the standard staff ceiling by
the Ministry of Health which is 48.
Angelo Ocheng, the in-charge of Atiak Health Center IV says that they initially
had 41 staff but some of them went to school for further studies leaving them
with only 36 which include two medical doctors, two senior nursing officers,
three enrolled nurses, one laboratory technician, one driver, among others.
According to Ocheng, the understaffing is greatly affecting the inpatient ward
and outpatient department.
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Ocheng added
that coupled with the inadequate staffing, the facility also has limited space
for patients in admission. He says the Maternity and In-patient wards were
meant to accommodate only 26 beds but due to the increase in the number of patients,
more beds were added leading to congestion of the wards.
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George Ocan,
the Secretary of Health and Community Based Services says that the district is doing
its best to have all the vacant positions in the health department filled to
ensure quality health care services are delivered to the locals.
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Last week, Amuru
District in partnership with Bulamu Healthcare International, a Non
–governmental Organization that offers free healthcare services to people in
rural areas, performed surgeries on 407 patients in Atiak Health Center IV.
The patients operated on were suffering from diseases like; Lipoma, Hydrocele,
Hernia, Procidentia, Cystocele, Fibriods, Ovarian Cyst, and Goitre, among
others.
Gaiety Aculu
aged 50, was suffering from Goitre. She revealed that she battled with the
disease for more than 10 years and was operated on on Friday and that she could
not afford to pay for the operation in a private health facility.
Jesse Johnson James
Freelancer