By Our Reporter
Kawempe referral Hospital is once again under the spotlight for delivering health services that have seen several seekers at the public facility go back home either fully recovered with high hopes to see the sun again, or more indisposed than they came with indelible bruises due to the wanting quality of health care.
When you enter into the Hospital premises during day time, some of the patients with their care takers are seen lying and seated on the ground at the main entrance of the ground level, as a welcome note. For starters, this is the starting point for the users of the facility.
Be that it may in providing mainly the maternal and child related health care, the government Hospital’s level one entrance is defined with a swarm of users seated on well assembled benches eagerly waiting for attention from the medical workers, while others are standing on their feet for lack of where to sit.
Night hours shift is a clear kurt description and the real definition of the plight at Kawempe Hospital as several patient’s care takers seen on level after level sprawlingly seated and lying on the ground in agony.
The Blazer News Times under cover investigative reporter exclusively discovered from the Hospital using patients and care takers that there is a lot of untold suffering therein, born out of frustrations from some corrupt medical staff, private security guards and cleaners who take advantage of their illness.
As one of the common phenomena hindering the struggling users to access healthcare, bribery among some staff seem to have been normalized with less or no deterrent curbs. For example, at level 4, there is one female security guard draped in navy blue uniform, manning the Hospital access route at night opposite an elevator busy blocking some patient’s care takers, disguising under the law enforcement. Visitors with money are easily let by her to gain access inside while those that hardly do it, hardly access.
Incidentally, the developments play out in the presence of the security- CCTV cameras fixed high in different strategic locations almost at every level by the Hospital administration. It left our reporter with yet un answered question; Who is not doing their Work right?
Delivering Bleeding Mothers Lie on the Bare Ground.
Level 8 is where the pregnant mothers that have just given birth, sent for further medical attention from level 6 where the child delivery happens with medical officer’s assistance. Upon our appearance there on Saturday May 2nd 2026, many women were found seated- sleeping in one designated area and in corridors on mats spread around on the floor.
Probing further from some of the facility attendees, this news website discovered that it was un written policy from the Hospitals’ administration, well aware of in adequacies in terms of the Hospital bed deficit.
“The moment you deliver, you’re not spared from leaving the bed even when you’re still medically un well”, one of the mothers fresh from the labor ward experience narrated!
Another woman (whose names withheld) had just given birth normally but left the ward seriously bleeding. She was ordered to leave her bed at level 6 for a bare ground location in the name of paving way for others that badly needed the same attention like herself.
“Daddy, I have been told to lie on the mat at level 8 when I am still seriously bleeding, please hurry to the Hospital as you buy me a mat for use since I can’t fall on the bare ground”, she told her spouse in a call.
Pregnant Mothers Suffering at Level 6
At the level 6 reception adjacent to one of the labor wards, the seriously hurt expectant mothers are seen lining up while groaning, but with minimal attention coming in to them from the visibly less caring and tough talking health workers, most of whom are prone to solicitation of the bribes.
Despite its legal consequences, there is one woman who narrated to us that she was forced to hide in her patient’s file a 20,000-shilling currency note as an inducement to one bitter health worker in easing her from the labor pain!
“She asked me, is this 20 thousand enough for me, I said ‘musawo’ that’s your little milk work on me please, before she could remind me of how she had seen me standing with my husband. I told her my husband had left long ago” she shared her ordeal.
Already Sick Children Share Beds.
In the child attending wards, sick children care taking mothers are ordered to share the Hospital beds with sick children from other care taking parents, while care takers settle on the ground if they wanted to rest.
Inquiring from one of them as to why it happens like that, she said they were informed by the medical workers that there is a deficit in the stock of beds.
To some Kawempe Hospital users and service seekers, the situation there is dire with concerns of Agony, leaving behind a big question of who amongst the responsible authorities including the government through ministry of health and the facility administration is not doing their work right?
Ministry of Health Speak Out.
When reached out for response on the matter, the Ministry of Health publicist Emmanuel Ainebyona admitted the gaps in delivery of the service at the facility.
“Were aware because the facility is currently receiving more than it was designed to do, but we’re working towards creating alternatives at Kisenyi and Kawaala to ease its congestion”, He explained.
Ainebyona further explained that the plight at Kawempe is an issue of the population numbers versus what the facility was designed to do, emphasizing that plans are underway to upgrade the neighboring health centers
