BULIISA PATIENTS ABANDONED AS DOCTORS, NURSES DESERT DUTY. WHO’S TO BLAME?

By Aggrey Baba

A village without a healer is like a body without a soul, and this saying rings true for Buliisa District. Leaders here are raising the alarm, likening the ongoing absenteeism of health workers to a wound that refuses to heal. When the cat is away, the mice will play, and in this case, the vulnerable sick are left to fend for themselves as empty health facilities echo their cries for help.

For years, the district has battled a glaring shortage of health workers, with staffing levels falling below 60% of what is required. Those who remain are overworked and exhausted, often abandoning their posts in search of relief. [We cannot milk a cow without feeding it], Harriet Atuhairwe, the District Secretary for Health. “Our workers are human beings. When stretched too thin, they fail to show up or leave early.”

The absence of a substantive District Health Officer (DHO) for nearly six years has only made matters worse. Leaders argue that without a DHO to ensure accountability, efforts to improve health services are like pouring water into a broken pot. “Every time we underperform, you can’t hold an acting DHO accountable,” Atuhairwe laments.

Kenneth Tumusiime, the Kihungya Sub-County Chairman, is equally frustrated. “This problem is widespread. It’s the same story at Buliisa District Hospital and other sub-counties. Health workers either come late, leave early, or fail to report altogether. The public service standing orders are clear, but who is enforcing them?” he asked.

The ripple effects are devastating. Patients are turned away, health centres become ghost towns, and the poorest residents are left clutching at straws. While urban dwellers can sometimes turn to private clinics, such facilities are scarce in Buliisa. Even when available, the crushing poverty in the district means many cannot afford them.

Fred Lukumu, the District Chairman, has questioned the government’s commitment to rural districts. “We sit on the shores of Lake Albert, where diseases are common. The government knows our plight. Why not prioritize us with medicines and staff? [A hungry child cries louder than a satisfied one, but it seems no one is listening].

Despite government pledges to improve healthcare nationwide, the story in Buliisa remains one of empty promises. Newly constructed health centres stand as monuments to unfulfilled hope, filled with patients but not the care they desperately need.

The leaders have made an impassioned plea to gov’t to increase the wage bill, recruit more health workers, and appoint a substantive DHO. Until these needs are addressed, the people of Buliisa will continue to live by yet another painful proverb. [A sick man does not wait for a doctor forever, but he either heals or perishes].

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