Hopeless Hospitals, Hopeful People
Mar 18th, 2008 by Jirair Ratevosian
Like the other hospitals we visited during the week, the “theatre” (operating room) at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital was missing necessary instruments, equipment and supplies. Their limited budget could only pay for a small autoclave (machine that sterilizes equipment before and after surgery) that was not big enough to fit some of the larger, over-sized instruments that are often used during surgery. The drug bottles were only 10% full and the rusted surgery beds were ripped and covered with black trash bags.
Outside the theatre I found the MOTH Data Book used to keep record of all the surgeries with simple remarks such as “good,” “fair” and “poor.” The maternity ward—essentially a room with 30 beds and more than 30 patients—was busy as ever and attended by a single nurse with a huge smile.
Time and time again, we met health workers who were over-burdened but never without hope. Overwhelmed by all there is to witness, one can easily feel hopeless that a stronger, more efficient health system would ever be possible. Talking to those health workers though, I felt invigorated and recommitted to the importance of the work that PHR is doing to strengthen health systems and ensuring the right to health.
Throughout the week, I interviewed many health workers who told me about their struggles, their challenges and their hopes. Among them were Nurse Ruth who works at the Infectious Disease Institute at Mekerere University.
I also interviewed Nixon Niyonzima, a 4th year medical student at the Medical School of Mekerere University in Kampala, who works with the PHR affiliated student chapter called Students for Equity in health Care.
