Anaka General Hospital in Nwoya district is grappling with a severe shortage of emergency transport, relying on a single functional ambulance to serve a vast catchment area stretching across multiple districts. Dr. Jolly Joe Lapat, the Hospital Executive Consultant, said the facility has operated with just one ambulance for the past four years, a situation that continues to strain service delivery in emergencies and referrals.
“We have one ambulance that runs the entire district. We are the only facility around here, actually, it stretches from Karuma up to Packwach with a functional ambulance,” Dr. Lapat explained.
According to him, the hospital is the first responder to nearly all emergencies, including road traffic accidents along the busy Karuma-Pakwach highway in Nwoya district, extending up to Pakwach and Nebbi districts.
“We make referrals every day. Every accident that happens, we are the primary team that responds to the emergency,” he said. The current ambulance, delivered in 2022, has been the hospital’s only operational emergency vehicle, handling all referral and rescue missions within the wide coverage area.
However, Dr. Lapat notes that relying on a single ambulance has frequently limited their response capacity on several occasions.
He noted that the hospital has an older ambulance, donated in 2015, which is currently grounded but still repairable, and believes that refurbishing it could significantly ease the burden. Dr. Lapat called on the government and partners to prioritize the hospital’s needs, stressing that acquiring an additional ambulance would greatly improve emergency response and patient care.
“The best alternative is to lobby and have a new ambulance added onto the existing one to help better serve the community,” he said. Dr James Okello, the Acting Nwoya District Health Officer, warned that without urgent intervention, the hospital’s ability to respond to emergencies and save lives across its area of operation could remain severely constrained.
Nwoya District Chairperson Emmanuel Orach says the district leadership has already escalated the matter to the Ministry of Health. In an interview with Uganda Radio Network, Orach noted that a formal request has been submitted seeking an additional ambulance to support the overstretched Anaka General Hospital. According to Orach, the district is optimistic about receiving feedback from the ministry soon.
Anaka General Hospital serves a wider population within Nwoya District and beyond, handling a significant patient load across its departments. Hospital statistics indicate an estimated 15,000 outpatient visits per quarter, averaging about 5,000 patients per month, the majority of whom are ambulatory patients who walk in for treatment.
The facility also admits approximately 3,000 inpatients and conducts about 1,000 maternal deliveries every quarter. In addition, records show that the hospital performs between 500 to 600 surgical operations in its theatre each quarter.
