Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) is taking steps to improve its services by adding new staff to its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward.
The process of making the ICU ward fully operational has begun, and it involves hiring a qualified team of specialists to support the institute in running a 12-bed cardiac intensive care unit.
In a job advertisement published in a local newspaper, UHI’s Executive Director, Dr. John Omagino, mentioned that the institute received government funding for this purpose. He emphasized the importance of recruiting skilled personnel to ensure the effective operation of the ICU ward.
The newly recruited staff will be responsible for various roles within the ICU ward at UHI, including medical officers, medical officers with special expertise in cardiac critical care, nursing officers, pharmacists, information technology officers, human resource officers, monitoring and evaluation officers, social workers, biomedical technicians, medical laboratory technicians, assistant accountants, assistant medical records officers, oxygen attendants, critical care orderlies, and customer care assistants.
Their responsibilities will include providing critical care to patients, offering technical and professional advice, conducting ward rounds, delivering primary healthcare and health education, maintaining and repairing medical equipment, managing infrastructure, performing preventive maintenance, conducting laboratory investigations, managing patient records, and supporting the continuous improvement of medical oxygen management.
Dr. Omagino presented a budget framework of sh129 billion in January 2023 to ensure a proper staffing structure at the institute. He explained that while renovations and equipment for the ICU were ready, the absence of specialists was causing delays and endangering patients with heart conditions.
The need for health specialists at the Uganda Heart Institute has arisen as heart diseases are becoming more common among younger Ugandans. Experts have noted that patients often lose their lives either at home or on their way to the hospital due to the lack of facilities and specialists in nearby healthcare facilities.
In a prospective cohort study conducted in 2017, it was found that a significant percentage of participants with Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) developed complications, highlighting the importance of specialized care.
According to data from the World Health Organization in 2020, coronary heart disease accounted for 8,784 deaths in Uganda, constituting 4.23% of all global fatalities.
