KAARO KARUNGI| KASESE – Kilembe mines hospital has permanently been shifted to Kasese town according to administrators of the facility.
The hospital suffered two waves of flash floods on May 7 and May 10, last year after rivers Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Nyamughasana and Lubhiliha burst their banks sweeping through Kilembe hospital and Kilembe mines.
Dr. Edward Wefula, the hospital medical superintendent says Kasese diocese has offered the former St Michael Kindergarten and daycare centre, and Kasese Catholic Social Services Hall to accommodate the hospital. He says they are developing more new structures so that the facility can ably return to full and better operations.
The medical superintendent however says it’s still difficult to transform what was formally a school structure into a hospital facility. However, he is proud of the progress and support from the catholic diocese and partners to transform the facility.
Dr. Wefula also says they are still lacking quality X-Ray and Ultra sound machines among other items that were either destroyed by floods or are worn-out.
Onesmus Kibaya, the hospital administrator says the new location guarantees the safety of their services and space for expansion. But Patrick Shamutsangira, a resident of Masule village in Kilembe wants government to upgrade Kilembe health centre II so that residents can still get better services. He says residents have to walk for more than 10 kilometres to Kasese town to access medical services at what used to be the best facility in the area.
Built in 1951 as a small clinic for Kilembe mines workers then, the facility is run on Tri-partite arrangement (Joint Administrative Agreement) between the Government of Uganda, Kilembe Mines Ltd and Kasese Catholic Diocese.
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