Butabika hospital seeks Shs2.5Bn to complete construction of perimeter fence

Butabika Hospital is seeking for Shs2.5 billionn to complete the construction of a 2.5Km perimeter wall fence.

This, the hospital administration says will reduce cases of patients escaping from the facility, which may not only pose a danger to the community around, but also endanger the lives of the patients.

While appearing before the Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Juliet Nakku, Butanika Hospital Executive Director highlighted that 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,” she noted.

Additionally, Nakku asked Parliament to increase the hospital’s budget for meals to Shs4.7Bn, against the Shs2.439Bn that has been availed.

According to Butabika Hospital, “313,000 patients are fed annually at an average cost of Shs6187 which includes breakfast, lunch and supper, however, the ideal cost of feeding each patient should be Shs15, 000 for three meals daily,” she clarified.

“The current inpatient numbers are averaging 1200 daily in admission which is 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 need to increase this budget since food is part of the treatment and hospital takes full charge of patient feeding,” added Nakku.

Butabika Hospital was established in 1955, and currently is the only National Referral Mental Health Institution in the Country. The hospital provides general and specialized mental health treatment for mental health patients and is a teaching hospital for a broad range of mental health specialists, from nursing to Post – Graduate students.