Patients visiting Nyagatare Hospital have expressed concern over the state of sanitation at the facility.Scores of patients who talked to The New Times yesterday said that there was need for quick intervention to change the situation.Harriette Batamuriza, a resident who was waiting for treatment, said that the poor sanitation at the hospital was exacerbated by poor toilets.“It is terrible to be here...you know you may contract a horrible disease when you are here for minor treatment. The toilets are full...it is noticeable even from a distance. Suppose there was an outbreak of cholera?” she wondered.Alex Baguma, another resident, said that service delivery at the hospital was equally poor.“It takes ages for a patient to be attended to...I spent several hours at the emergency ward. It is indeed heart breaking and our cries have for long gone unanswered,” he said.The hospital authorities acknowledged that the conditions at the hospital were not proper. Dr Benon Karekezi Rukunda, the hospital’s Director, explained that the hospital was undergoing rehabilitation in order to put everything in order. He said that Rwf 20 million was set aside to give the hospital a facelift.“This hospital is overwhelmed by the big population it serves...over 400,000 people are treated from here. It is also a referral for over 20 health centres. We are constructing new toilets, improving the compound with flowers and pavements,” he said.However, on the issue of poor service delivery, Rukunda, said that residents were not being genuine enough.“Unfortunately, all patients want to be treated first. Some with minor complications want to be treated before those who are seriously sick, which is insensitive and when they are told otherwise, they call it poor service delivery,” he said.
