Lira Regional Referral Hospital hosted its third edition of the baraza on July 30, bringing together senior government officials and cultural and political leaders.
Another key category of attendees was the wanahanci, who provided honest and emotional feedback and testimonies.
The 3rd baraza started with the commissioning of a rehabilitated road passing through the hospital premises, and visits to endoscopy and patients’ isolation units.
Dr Andrew Odur, Senior Executive Consultant of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, urged Lira City Council authorities to now prioritise the construction of the road stretching from the old Akii Bua stadium through the hospital’s Western gate to Teso Bar.
Currently, the road, which the city council has promised to work on under emergency response, is affecting emergency healthcare.
“When we have this stretch to Teso Bar worked on, we will improve the outreach in the hospital,” Dr Odur said.
Dr Odur also spoke about the worrying rate of teenage pregnancy in the Lango sub-region. “Nationally, the Lango sub-region is leading in teenage pregnancy among girls under 20 years. Maybe we need to ask ourselves its benefits…. We have discussed and realised that maybe this is not the problem of the hospital because they are brought to us in a dire state of health.”
Dr John Paul Magala, Assistant Commissioner for Reproductive Health and Infant Health at the Ministry of Health, said it’s the NRM government directive to the Ministry to be intentional on barazas.
“All our facilities – every February and July of the year… I’m the primary responsible officer at the Ministry in ensuring that barazas are implemented across all our facilities.
Dr Magala says barazas give enormous feedback. “And that is what we want so that we go back and reflect and close these gaps.”
The Assistant Commissioner appreciated frontline health workers at Lira Regional Referral Hospital for “the great work they are doing.”
“In order for us to promote, provide and protect healthcare services (now to my footsoldiers), there are particular things that have come up here, and I just want to empathise: timely attendance to duty, performance by doctors, averting absenteeism, organised absenteeism, intentional absenteeism; present absenteeism.”
Rudeness of staff and extortion, two of the key issues some baraza participants cited as common at the referral hospital, Dr Magala said, “can be pushed out.” “Extortion, whenever you extort, you are sharing even with your grandchildren. So, please, that is something that we need to avoid.”
“My colleagues, let’s ensure that medicines supplied go to the people. Whatever is there, let’s give it to the people.”
The Assistant Commissioner called on the hospital management to “have an institutional policy on how we handle the situation if drugs and other supplies are not available.”
Besides a handful of public criticisms, Dr Magala applauded Lira Regional Referral Hospital management for tremendous work. He stated that the facility is the only one in the region doing paediatric surgeries.
“More than 200 neuro surgeries on patients have been done here. That’s a plus,” he said. “Very few regional referral hospitals can do that level of intervention.”
Government will continue to support the facility
“We shall continue, as government, to support Lira Regional Referral Hospital to punch above its weight. We shall continue to be very deliberate,” he announced.
“I have had several discussions with the Director General of Health Services that we should support our regions because it’s very difficult for a patient to be referred from here to Mulago, very difficult.”
“So, we have to do everything within our powers to ensure that the services are brought closer to the people, and for them to tell us what we have not yet achieved or done right.”
The baraza’s chief guest was the Lira Resident City Commissioner, Lawrence Egole, who commended doctors, nurses, midwives and support staff for their “continuous and skilful services and above all the sacrifices they continue to give.”
RCC Egole stated that the government of Uganda and other development partners have helped “us a lot here; we now have so much equipment and also several trainings have been provided.”
Egole called on the public and health workers to own the hospital and protect all the equipment the government has already put in place.
To the management, the RCC advised they should intensify supervision and appreciate hardworking staff – a culture that motivates everybody to work very hard.
On corruption, he said: “I want us to know that corruption is still the biggest enemy of service delivery. When government drugs are sold out, when it’s meant to be for free, and people pay for it; when staff are always absent or report very late, it’s a poor person who suffers, who dies.”
The baraza was held under the theme: “People-Centered Service Through Accountability and Strong Collaboration.”
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