Patients hail Namboole Covid-19 treatment centre

There has been a reduction in the number of Covid-19 patients at Namboole Auxiliary Covid-19 Treatment Centre. 

As of Friday, the unit had 40 patients, with 20 severely ill and on oxygen.

Dr Ivan Kisule, the head of Namboole Covid-19 centre said on Friday that before the second lockdown, the facility would receive 20 patients daily but the number has since reduced to about five. 

He said with a current bed capacity of 1,200, there are plans to increase the capacity to 2,000. 

 Dr Kisule said since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic they have treated more than 400 patients with recovery rate of 98 per cent. 

Some of the people being treated from the facility have shared their experience hailing the centre for good treatment services .

Owens Beruga

I was  attending to my wife at Namboole Covid-19 treatment centre. Many people I contacted when my wife, whose oxygen levels had dropped to 82, referred me to Namboole. My wife came in crying and scared  that she would die. 

On the second day, I decided to test and I was positive too. I was immediately admitted and started medication. What was shocking is that my oxygen levels were also low, I didn’t expect that.

Basing on what I had read about scarcity of oxygen, I was scared that I would not get oxygen but in a short time, the health workers attended to me. This is my third week here, I hope I will be able to go back home today. 

My wife recovered and she has been taking care of me. 

People would call whenever it would rain because they were told we sleep in tents. For the time I have been here, I have  never  slept in a tent. 

To all Ugandans, before thinking of seeking private health care services where you will pay a lot of money, there is free treatment in public health facilities. 

Here, there is no need to worry about getting medication. 

Hellen Birungi

When I went to Mengo hospital,  I was told I had contracted Covid-19. My oxygen levels had dropped to 56  but  I didn’t have money to pay for Oxygen.

 I was referred to Namboole and I used a boda boda to this place. 

 At that time, I  thought I was going to die as I didn’t have money to pay for Intensive Care Unit services. Earlier, people had recommended various remedies, from using alcohol to sanitising the lungs and steaming but all these did not work.

Today, I am much better  than when  I came on June 30.

Florence Nakatte

When my husband got sick, I didn’t know it was Covid-19. We started steaming and good enough, he recovered.  Unfortunately, I also got the virus and ended up infecting my friend. I started experiencing difficulty in breathing.

I had cough and sought self-medication from a clinic.

I reached a point and I didn’t have energy to move. I spent two weeks on oxygen at Kiruddu hospital.  

The medicine was available, apart from a few that we had to buy. When the number of patients increased, we were referred to Namboole. But because of the stories I had heard about the facility I refused to be transferred. I was told once I came here, I would die, because there is no oxygen and medicine.  

However, when one of my friends whom I was with at Kiruddu  came here,  I also accepted to be transferred. And by the way, the services at Namboole are better than those at Kirrundu.  There is enough food and oxygen. At Kiruddu, sometimes we would share oxygen.