Moroto Regional Referral Hospital Lacks ICU, Forced to Operate from MRI Room with 3-Bed Capacity
A recent audit has revealed that Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, the only referral facility for the entire Karamoja sub-region, has no designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The audit noted that the hospital lacks a designated room for an ICU. This has forced the hospital to operate its critical care services from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) room, which has a bed capacity of only three beds.
This inadequate arrangement negatively impacts service delivery in two critical ways. First, it cannot handle more than three patients needing intensive care at any given time. Second, it disrupts the provision of MRI services for which the room was originally intended.
According to the report, the hospital’s Accounting Officer attributed this critical infrastructure gap to an “inadequate capital development budget.”
This situation is particularly dire given the hospital’s crucial role. Moroto Regional Referral Hospital serves nine districts in the Karamoja sub-region, covering a total population of 1,496,117 people.
