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... patients forced to share beds in Dar
2006-11-01 09:11:07
By Ludger Kasumuni
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Mothers sit with their newly born babies at the Mwanyamala Hospital maternity ward in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Due to overcrowding, up to three nursing mothers share a bed. (Photo: Khalfan Said). |
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Congestion of patients in hospitals in Dar es Salaam is acute, a survey by The Guardian has established.
The situation is made worse by the shortage of doctors, nurses and para-medical staff.
At Amana and Mwananyamala hospitals in Ilala and Kinondoni municipalities respectively, reporters bumped into long queues of patients, some seriously ill, seeking medical treatment.
The situation was bad at Buguruni-Mnyamani where there was an influx of out-patients as well as in-patients.
At Amana, Hospital Director Willy Sangu said that on Monday alone there were 151 maternity patients admitted.
The situation, he regretted, was exacerbated by the fact that the ward has a bed capacity for 60 patients only, meaning 91 of them had no beds.
Yesterday, there were 76 patients in the Maternity Ward.
”It is true that we have a problem of congestion. But we banking on the construction are of a new building for out- patient department (OPD) facility and doctors’ offices,” he said.
He said by early December, this year, the problem would have been resolved after the completion of the new building, meant for 15 doctors examination rooms.
Dr Sangu said on Monday this week, civic leaders from Ilala Municipal Council visited the institution to update themselves on the progress made by the contractor on the site.
The Guardian survey further established that in all the hospitals, lack of sufficient medical personnel, facilities and insufficient wards compounded the problem of congestion. It also impacted on service delivery.
At Mwananyamala Hospital, the situation was more appalling, with up to three patients sharing beds.
Others had no option but sleep on the floor, a condition that put them at risk of multiple infections.
Efforts to contact the hospital’s director for comment proved futile as he was said to be busy attending to patients in the wards.
Last July, The Guardian conducted a similar survey in Temeke Municipality and established that overcrowding, lack of sufficient staff and hence poor service delivery, were a stumbling bloc to the provision of adequate health services.
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