Entebbe Grade A Hospital, which has been struggling with deteriorating conditions, has decided to move its services to the National Isolation Centre in Entebbe.
This decision was made because the hospital was having difficulty providing proper care for patients with diseases like Rabies, Diabetes, HIV, and Tuberculosis (TB).
Richard Tumwesigye, the administrator of Entebbe Grade A Hospital, said they had to close the hospital and move services due to the poor condition of the buildings and the need for more space.
“The buildings at Grade A are mostly in bad shape and need repairs. We also don’t have enough space,” explained Tumwesigye.
“As the number of patients increased after Covid-19, it became impossible to serve them safely in that environment. So, we needed more space to care for our patients,” he added.
Entebbe Grade A Hospital, originally built by the British colonial government in 1904 for the British community, was given to the Ugandan government after independence in 1962. Over the years, the hospital has faced challenges because its buildings are getting old.
The services that have been moved to the National Isolation Centre include the TB clinic, mental health clinic, and the Diabetes Clinic, which is now at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital (Grade B).
Richard mentioned that they are talking to the Ministry of Health to get money for renovating and rebuilding the hospital’s structures.
“Most of the problems we faced were because we didn’t have enough space, and we are glad we have finally moved,” he said.
Some of the hospital’s old buildings have leaky roofs, which have even affected nearby buildings.
To deal with the space problem, they turned a former men’s restroom into a storage place for medical equipment and supplies.
