The First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs Janet Museveni has said she is proud of the work St. Kizito Hospital Matany has been doing for a long time to save lives of Ugandans in Karamoja and the neighbouring districts.
“God put Matany Hospital strategically in Karamoja to save life and we have all the confidence that it will continue to serve the people of Karamoja”, > she said about the hospital which has been operating since the early 70s.
The First Lady was meeting Matany Hospital Administration team and the School of Nursing and Midwifery Leaders who presented to her situation reports and financial sustainability issues of the hospital. This was during her visit to the health facility this week.
She acknowledged that Matany Hospital does a lot more than many other facilities in the country and thanked the hospital administration for stretching their funding to do all they do. She said her Ministry would explore possibilities of supporting it to continue with the good work it is doing to save life.
The 250-bed rural hospital located in Napak District is among the 33 Private -Not-for-Profit (PNFP) hospitals in the country run under the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau. It offers various services including an outpatients’ department, surgical, medical, pediatric and TB wards, Ante-natal clinic, laboratory, X-ray and ultrasound, plus dental care, orthopedic and physiotherapy units.
It also has an ART clinic with a counselling unit and offers EMTCT and primary eye care services. Matany hospital also acts as a referral unit for the Karamoja region.
In his report the CEO and Hospital Administrator Br. Günther Nährich highlighted the challenge of sustaining the hospital in the absence of door funding. He appreciated Government for the Primary Health Care (PHC) funds that are allocated to Matany Hospital since 1997.
He said other sources of funding for the hospital include user fees and income from the Nurses and Midwifery training school, but the hospital still has a funding gap to sustain its operations.
The challenges he said include keeping the structures efficient, providing the monthly salaries for the employees, providing drugs and equipment plus keeping the nursing and midwifery training school running.
The First Lady was also taken on a guided tour of the hospital by the Medical Superintendent Dr. John Bosco Nsubuga and other members of staff.
At the School of Nursing and Midwifery, she was welcomed by the tutors and students who demonstrated to her some of what they learn in the skills laboratory.
Dr. John Bosco Nsubuga reported that the health training Institution, which currently has a total of 108 students, has been in place for 31 years and needs rehabilitation. He pointed out the need for a bigger skills laboratory that would accommodate the large number of students and also meet the Ministry of Health standards.
Dr. Nsubuga thanked Mrs. Museveni for the care she has for the people of Karamoja and for always coming in to support Matany hospital’s work.
In her report Sr. Nataline Mowo the Principal Tutor of St. Kizito Hospital Matany School of Nursing and Midwifery said for the last five years their school has registered a success rate of 100% and has been rated one of the best three performing HTIs at national level.
She however pointed out some challenges including the need for a midwifery tutor, renovation of school infrastructure and a equipping the school with computers.
