Critical health services at Abim Hospital are under threat due to persistent water shortages, unreliable electricity supply and ageing infrastructure, prompting renewed calls for urgent renovation of the facility.
The challenges are affecting key services, including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where health workers say unreliable power supply is putting pressure on equipment used to care for newborns.
The hospital, constructed in 1969 during the first administration of Dr. Milton Obote, has a bed capacity of 100 and serves a population of about 193,000 people.
Abim Hospital last received a major renovation in 2017 after former presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye visited the facility during his 2016 campaigns and raised concerns about its poor condition.
Following the visit, the government funded renovations to the tuberculosis ward, mortuary, stores, water systems, and provided beds, mattresses and additional staffing.
The intervention improved the facility’s appearance and restored public confidence.
However, hospital authorities say the gains are now being reversed by deteriorating infrastructure and recurring utility challenges.
Dr. Anthony Okuda Okengo, the Senior Medical Officer at Abim Hospital, says the facility requires a facelift, adding that unreliable electricity and lack of running water are affecting service delivery.
By URN
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