Hundreds of patients that go to Lira Regional Referral Hospital for medical services are now resorting to private facilities due to lack of doctors.
The facility was upgraded from a district hospital to a referral in 2005 but has for the last three years been operating with only six doctors.
The facility is a destination for many patients within Lango region and Pader, Agago, Kitgum, Kaberamaido, and Abim.
Christine Akullu, a patient in the outpatient department, says whenever she goes to the facility she has to stay for more than 8 hours before she is served.
Akullu claims that some days she goes back her home in Kole district without being served since there are so many patients.
Joseph Odongo, a resident of Ogur sub-county in Lira district, complains about how patients are made to queue up for hours to access the doctor yet they are already weak. Odongo says that when it is financially possible for him, he opts to go to private hospitals.
Dr. Drake Adupa, the acting hospital director, says a referral facility is expected to have 41 full time doctors for effective service delivery.
He says lack of doctors has caused a heavy workload for the inadequate staff and slowed effective service delivery as one doctor has to attend to many patients.
Dr. Adupa says the number of patients visiting the facility daily has risen from 90 to 150 at the outpatient department and all have to be attended to by only one doctor.
He cited malaria, diarrhea and cough as the major illnesses among patients that visit the facility.
Beatrice Apong, acting Lira District Health Officer, told URN on Wednesday that lack of medical doctors is currently a national problem.
She noted that Lira district has also failed to attract two medical doctors to manage Ogur and Amach health centre IVs.
For their labour, a medical doctor working in government facility is paid a monthly salary of about 700,000 Uganda shillings.
