Dr. Aceng pledges support to Ruharo Mission hospital

Amos Tayebwa

Health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has pledged full support to Ruharo Mission Hospital in Mbarara, western Uganda, by the government of Uganda through her ministry.

This pledge was made on Friday at the commissioning of a Children’s Cancer ward at the hospital which is one of the private, strongest and popular Eye Center and Mission Hospital in Uganda and East Africa.

The ward was constructed with support from Dr. Keith Waddell foundation, one of the founders and medical advisor to this hospital.

Among the challenges, according to the hospital administrator Beckson Tayebwa, are lack of infrastructure, a medical superintendent, resources to hire and maintain competent staff like doctors, specialists, and many other cadres.

There is also minimal support from government.

According to Dr. Tayebwa, the hospital has to, got a manufacturing facility which they called a production unit.

They currently manufacture over 80% of the eye drops which they use in the Eye center section and the rest are sold out for generating funds which they use to support in payments of the staff and other services.

“We would wish to get further equipments and other resources to make sure that we do even automated services in that unit so that we can do massive production and we serve the community that we are living and also generate some funds to make sure that Ruharo mission Hospital continues running,” said Dr. Tayebwa.

Ruharo is under the Diocese of Ankore which it’s strength is about outreach services.

The hospital operates as a static and outreach service to a catchment population of about 12m people.

This is in the region of Western and south western Uganda.

“We stretch from the areas of Mbarara, Bushenyi, Rukungiri, Sheema, Ntungamo, Isingiro, Bundibugyo, Kagadi, Fortportal, Masaka, and neighbouring districts. With that population we always go there and we go to outreaches specifically, and so far for example this year we have operated about 1734 patient’s eyes and all surgeries are done for free in these outreaches. We have dispensed about 6863 spectacles for free during the last one year. We have in the last quarter also 709 eye surgery were done at zero cost for patients,” he added.

Sheldon Mwesigwa, the Bishop of Ankore said that Ruharo Eye Center started as a small eye clinic offering outreach services in 1994 and the mission hospital started 1995, a things that wouldn’t have been possible without partners.

High cost of Health Service , flactuating prices for commodities, high turnover of Human resource for example Special Eye Doctors are among other challenges he cited.

“This is more likely due to the low wages because these funds are usually generated from friends, and being a mission Hospital the philosophy is different and the staff here are the committed ones plus money is the secondly motivation, but their pay is not supportive. Therefore, Guest of Honor and officials if you could help and support in this respect and also seconding of specialists so that there is sustainable service delivery in this hospital we could be glad. The people who serve us are the citizens of this country and this hospital in not for profit. Let us implore government to support this already established structure,” said Bishop Prof. Dr. Sheldon Mwesigwa.

Minster Dr. Aceng was able to respond to the requests by promising to deal with this hospital and give support as much as she can.

“My dear Bishop and the entire team, allow me to say a big thank to you for the job that you are doing. I have seen and I have felt that the hospital needs a lot of support and you have said it, it might be support in terms of running costs, support in terms of specialists and of course support in terms of being available when we are needed.
Allow me to say whenever we can and if I am still in this position I will try my best to do it,” promised minister Aceng.