Juliet Nakku, the Executive Director of Butabika Hospital, has recently made a formal request for urgent additional funding of Shs7.2 billion.

This funding is intended to complete the hospital’s perimeter fence and ensure proper nourishment for their patients.

While appearing before the Parliament’s Health Committee on Tuesday Nakku said that with a pressing requirement of Shs7.2 billion, the hospital seeks to fortify its premises through essential fencing upgrades and ensure the provision of adequate and nutritious meals for its patients. This appeal highlights the critical importance of additional funding to sustain and improve the quality of care offered by Butabika Hospital.

She informed the legislators that these essential projects must be completed as soon as possible to ensure the safety and well-being of both patients and staff.

Based on Nakku’s assessment, Butabika Hospital urgently needs Shs2.5 billion to finalize the construction of a 2.5-kilometre perimeter wall fence.

This essential measure aims to significantly decrease instances of patient elopement from the facility. Such occurrences not only jeopardize the safety of the neighbouring community but also pose grave risks to the patients attempting to leave, endangering their own lives in the process.

“The wall fence is still half done and as a result, many patients use the undone section to escape from the hospital. This is a big danger to them and the community. We also end up spending a lot of money on fuel to pick them from the roads as they escape.”

Certainly, Nakku highlighted a critical concern regarding the budget allocation for patient meals at Butabika Hospital. Presently, the allocated budget stands at Shs2.439 billion, which falls significantly short of the required amount. She emphasized the necessity to augment this budget to Shs4.7 billion to ensure adequate sustenance for the patients.

At Butabika Hospital, an astonishing 313,000 patients receive meals annually, encompassing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The current average cost per patient meal, calculated across the three meals, stands at Shs6,187.

However, Nakku stressed that for optimal care and nutrition, the ideal cost to adequately feed each patient should be Shs15,000 per day, covering the expenses for the three meals provided.

“The current inpatient numbers are averaging 1200 daily in admission as against the bed capacity of 550. These patients get 3 meals per day which means that we have to improvise within the available budget. There is a need to increase this budget since food is part of the treatment and the hospital takes full charge of patient feeding,” she said.

This significant deficit between the actual cost of feeding patients and the allocated budget poses a considerable challenge. It impacts the quality and nutritional value of the meals offered to patients, ultimately affecting their overall well-being and recovery during their stay at the hospital.

She informed the lawmakers that addressing this shortfall in funding is imperative to ensure that patients receive the necessary nourishment vital for their health and recuperation.